Steel Products Prices North America

SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Waiting & Watching

Written by John Packard

September 2, 2015

This week’s averages are heavily influenced (more than normal) by our on-going survey since all of our SMU team is involved in the Steel Summit Conference. We are being careful while at the conference not to discuss specific pricing or competitive situations. We will continue to evaluate market prices as the week progresses and advise if we find changes to this week’s prices.

Here is how we see spot flat rolled prices this week (all prices shown are in net tons which are equal to 2,000 pounds):

Hot Rolled Coil: SMU Range is $430-$470 per ton ($21.50/cwt- $23.50/cwt) with an average of $450 per ton ($22.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range are unchanged compared to last week. Our overall average is the same compared to one week ago. SMU price momentum for hot rolled steel is Neutral at the moment but we are seeing short term pockets of weakness which could take prices lower over the next couple of weeks.

Hot Rolled Lead Times: 2-5 weeks.

Cold Rolled Coil: SMU Range is $560-$590 per ton ($28.00/cwt- $29.50/cwt) with an average of $575 per ton ($28.75/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range rose $10 per ton compared to one week ago while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is unchanged compared to last week. SMU price momentum on cold rolled steel is at Neutral but, like hot rolled above, we could see a weakening in prices over the next two or three weeks.

Cold Rolled Lead Times: 3-7 weeks.

Galvanized Coil: SMU Base Price Range is $28.00/cwt-$29.50/cwt ($560-$590 per ton) with an average of $28.75/cwt ($575 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range increased $10 per ton compared to last week while the upper end remained the same. Our overall average is up $5 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is Neutral with some pockets of short term weakness.

Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU Range is $629-$659 per net ton with an average of $644 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvanized Lead Times: 4-8 weeks.

Galvalume Coil: SMU Base Price Range is $28.50/cwt-$30.50/cwt ($570-$610 per ton) with an average of $29.50/cwt ($590 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range are the same as they were one week ago. Our overall average is unchanged compared to last week. Like the other flat rolled products mentioned above our price momentum for Galvalume is currently pointing towards Neutral but with a short term downward tilt.

Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU Range is $861-$901 per net ton with an average of $881 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvalume Lead Times: 5-7 weeks.

SMU Note: Below is a graphic showing our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, and Galvalume price history. To use the graphs interactive capabilities, you must view it on our website here. If you need help navigating the website or need to know your login information, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by calling 800-432-3475.

John Packard

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