NELSON-FARRAR QUARTERLY COSTIMATING

Itemized refining cost indexes [13,134 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.

Oct. 5, 1998

How indexes have changed

Gary Farrar
Contributing Editor

Itemized refining cost indexes [13,134 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. 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 four-year period at an index of 1,103.3, and ended at 1,172.8.

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.