How indexes have changed

Nelson-Farrar indexes for finished steels [127,016 bytes] Itemized refining cost indexes [194,514 bytes] Itemized refining cost indexes cont. [12,307 bytes] Nelson-Farrar indexes for finished steels changed randomly during the period 1994-1997. Generally speaking, the alloy steels changed less than carbon steel products. Alloy bars started the period with an index value of 851.0 and finished at 793.7. Alloy sheets stood at index value of 519.0 in early 1994, and at 536.1 in late 1997.

July 6, 1998

Gary Farrar
Contributing Editor

Nelson-Farrar indexes for finished steels changed randomly during the period 1994-1997. Generally speaking, the alloy steels changed less than carbon steel products.

Alloy bars started the period with an index value of 851.0 and finished at 793.7. Alloy sheets stood at index value of 519.0 in early 1994, and at 536.1 in late 1997.

Stainless strip varied from 500.5 to 498.4 over the same period. Index for cold-rolled sheets was 1098.5 during the first quarter of 1994, and stood at 1139.5 during the last quarter of 1997. During the same period, structural plates started the 4-year period at an index of 1103.3, and ended at 1172.8.

Composite index for steel products varied from 991.6 in the first quarter of 1994 to 1035.0 during the last quarter of 1997. The composite category includes all steel-mill products. This analysis shows relative stability in the cost of finished steels over the 1994-1997 period.