Category: Supply Chain

What is happening with the US port strike?

The US port strike has caused significant delays, increasing costs for businesses and affecting supply chains. Steel prices may further rise due to high demand, tight supply, and disruptions in material shipments. Find out more below. What is happening with the US port strike? The US port strike, starting October 1, involves 47,000 ILA dockworkers […]

PVC Plumbing Pipe Increase

PVC pipe mills have announced that due to increasing costs of PVC resin and freight, they will be implementing an increase of 5%. We will hold current price levels through close-of-business on Friday, 4/8 and move to a new list price sheet on Monday, 4/11. PVC resin, the raw material needed for PVC pipe, continues […]

Increases: Domestic Steel Pipe, CPVC, Threaded Rod, Conduit

The global steel market is rapidly changing. Demand worldwide is rising, while supply disruptions continue to mount due to the conflict in Ukraine, where key raw material exports have become more limited for steel production facilities., causing steel prices to increase. Along with this, shipping and freight continue to rise because of sanctions placed on […]

Why Steel Pipe Costs Are Rising Rapidly

Update 3/16: The steel market has been highly volatile recently, and market conditions are rapidly changing day-to-day. As a result of rising shipping and freight costs and tightening supply due to manufacturing disruptions stemming from the turmoil in Russia and Ukraine, a price increase of $400/TON or 25% is now in immediate effect. A new […]

CEO Greg Leidner Featured on Master Distribution Panel

Our CEO, Greg Leidner, joined Moderator Jason Bader, principal of The Distribution Team and columnist for The Wholesaler magazine, and fellow panelist Lewis Finn, CEO of Control Supply Corp., to discuss why there may be a reluctance from distributors to partner with master distributors to fill orders, how these partnerships have changed over the years, […]

Threaded Rod Increase, Market Update for Steel, PVC and Copper

What’s happening: Threaded rod increase on Monday, 9/20 Steel prices continue up PVC volatile from storm disruptions PVC conduit increase Copper ups and downs Threaded Rod & Continued Steel Increases Due to escalating input costs, threaded rod manufacturers have implemented a price increase of approximately 10%. We will be uploading a new strut list price […]

Market Update for August, Steel Price Increases

See what’s happening across commodity markets, and what’s sustaining the low-supply, high-demand scenario we find ourselves in. Steel: Record highs for hot rolled coil (HRC) continue, up almost to $1,900/ton and with lead times of 8-10 weeks. Demand continues to outpace supply for finished steel products, whether it’s appliances, cars, or steel pipe. Because of […]

Plastic Conduit

PVC Plumbing, Conduit and Metal Conduit Increases

Mills and manufacturers of commodity pipe products and other building materials are working to produce during a time of limited availability of raw materials and increasing costs of freight. Below is a list of upcoming price increases being implemented by mills. Please call your Merfish United representative for more information or to place orders. PVC […]

Copper Market Updates, Why Prices are Rising

Strong demand from China, the top consumer of copper, and low global inventories pushed prices higher on Monday, 7/26, up over $.18/lb to around $4.58/lb. while holding through Tuesday afternoon. In addition to an already tight global copper supply, floods in China have further strained copper inventories as tube and other building materials are needed […]

Why Material Costs Remain High

Demand for housing and renovations remains high, creating high demand for building materials, including copper, steel and PVC resin. This article from Boston.com cites the following: Copper supply volatility, including tube and wire. “Seventy-seven percent of home builders the NAHB surveyed said they had encountered at least some shortage of copper wire.” PVC resin and […]