NASCC speaker addresses volatile steel-pricing situation

John Cross, vice president of AISC Marketing LLC, spoke as part of a program on steel pricing at the North American Steel Construction Conference (NASCC) in Long Beach, Calif., March 24-26. He was one of several speakers at the conference who addressed the volatile steel-pricing situation. Currently, material surcharges on wide flange and rebar is at $120 per ton.

According to Cross, it's important for specialty steel contractors to focus not on the differences between current steel prices and last year's prices, but instead to compare steel prices with those of competing systems. "I would like to suggest that each of us ask ourselves a question: What value do I as a professional in the structural steel marketplace bring to a project, even in these volatile times? Or maybe the better way to ask that question is, what value do I as a professional in the structural steel marketplace bring to a project, especiallyin these volatile times?"

He emphasized, however, that while steel prices are up, there is no shortage of material. He also stressed that the material price increases actually will have only a minimal impact on the overall project cost.