News
Material pricing, lead times, and supplier capacity — what commercial subcontractors are watching.
The 50% Steel Duty Is Holding: HRC Grinds to $1,160 as Imports Retreat
Nucor's consumer spot price for hot-rolled coil climbed a third straight week to $1,160 a ton in early August, with the Section 232 duty and thinner imports keeping domestic mills firmly in control of pricing.
Copper Near Record Highs: Building Wire Costs Stay Up as the 25% Derivative Duty Bites
Copper traded around $6.54 a pound at the end of August, up about 45% year over year, while a 25% Section 232 duty on copper-intensive derivatives keeps building wire and cable elevated.
Cement Runs Hot: Southeast Plants at 96% Utilization Push Ready-Mix to $178 a Yard
National ready-mix hit $165 a cubic yard in Q1, up 11% year over year, with the Southeast at $178 and running short as cement plants operate near the redline.
Who You Buy From Is Consolidating: $40B in Distribution Deals Reshape the Supply Chain
Home Depot's SRS closed its $5.5B buy of GMS while QXO moved to land TopBuild for about $17B, concentrating the distributors that sell subs drywall, roofing, insulation, and steel framing.
Lumber Duty Relief Is Smaller Than It Looks: Effective Rate Holds Near 35%
Commerce trimmed Canadian softwood anti-dumping and countervailing duties toward a combined 24.9%, but a Section 232 layer keeps the effective rate near 34.83% with final determinations not expected until October.
The 128-Week Wait: Transformer and Switchgear Lead Times Are Now a Schedule Risk
Power transformers are quoting around 128 weeks and custom medium-voltage switchgear runs up to 80, as the data-center buildout pulls electrical equipment demand past what suppliers can make.