Nelson-Farrar indexes for finished steels changed drastically during 2004-07. Generally speaking, the alloy steels changed less than carbon steel products.
Alloy bars started the period with an index value of 874.8 and peaked at 1,689.3. Alloy sheets were at an index value of 563.7 in early 2004, and at 1,084.9 in early 2007.
Index for cold-rolled sheets was 1,083.9 during first-quarter 2004, and was 2,086.6 during first-quarter 2007. During the same 4-year period, structural plates started at an index of 1,209.0 and hit a high of 2,019.2 in early 2007.
Composite index for steel products were as high as 1,689.3 during second-quarter 2007, up from 1,069.6 in first-quarter 2004. The composite category includes all steel-mill products. This analysis shows a large increase in the cost of finished steels during 2004-07.
