Steel Products Prices North America

Comparison Price Indices: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Written by John Packard
August 3, 2014
Last week flat rolled steel prices moved higher by modest amounts, $5 per ton or less with a couple exceptions (see table below). Since the beginning of July our SMU steel price index has seen hot rolled prices move higher by $15 per ton, cold rolled prices by $10, galvanized prices by $10 and Galvalume prices by $10.
The mild upward price movement is a welcome respite from previous year’s wild price gyrations. The last time hot rolled slipped below $600 per ton was June 18, 2013. Since then our HRC index has not broken above $675 per ton, which is its current average on both our index and the average of all of the indexes followed by Steel Market Update. The last time our index touched $700 per ton was February 28, 2012. So, we are approaching rarified territory for HRC pricing.
On the negative side, every time our HRC index reached $700 per ton or higher (on January 31, 2012 we reached $740 per ton) prices have moved down to test the $600 per ton support levels. Members may be interested in logging into our website and check out the HRC graph (weekly average) which is found under price history (or you can click here and then log in if you aren’t already in the site).
FOB Points for each index:
SMU: Domestic Mill, East of the Rockies.
CRU: Midwest Mill, East of the Rockies.
SteelBenchmarker: Domestic Mill, East of the Mississippi.
Platts: Northern Indiana Domestic Mill.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in Steel Products Prices North America

SMU price ranges: Flat-rolled balloon continues to leak
Sheet and plate prices were flat or lower again this week on continued concerns about demand and higher production rates among US mills.

HRC vs. busheling spread narrows in August
The price spread between prime scrap and hot-rolled coil (HRC) narrowed in August, according to SMU’s most recent pricing data.

SMU Price Ranges: Market drifts lower still
All five of SMU's steel sheet and plate price indices declined this week, falling to lows last seen in February.

Discontentment brews in plate market with flat, status-quo pricing
Sources in the carbon and alloy steel plate market said they are less discouraged by market uncertainty resulting from tariffs or foreign relations, but are instead, eager to see disruption to the flat pricing environment.

Nucor lowers HR coil spot price by $15/ton
Nucor has implemented a double-digit price decrease on spot hot-rolled (HR) coil for the second consecutive week.