Steel Products Prices North America

Comparison Price Indices: Basically a Flat Week
Written by John Packard
September 13, 2015
The flat rolled steel indexes followed by Steel Market Update saw prices as being relatively flat this past week with the exception of Platts which is playing catch-up as they move their prices to be more in line with the other indexes.
SMU kept all of our indices the same as the prior week as we adjusted our prices twice during that week (the last time being the Thursday before Labor Day Weekend). We now have our hot rolled price average at $440 per ton. Platts lowered their HRC number to $445 per ton and now CRU is the highest at $450 per ton (up $1 from the week before).
The indexes are all seeing cold rolled at $575 per ton (CRU down $5 others remained the same).
The galvanized spread is getting narrower as CRU adjusted their .060″ G90 pricing by $7 per ton down to $642 per ton. SMU average is $8 per ton less than the CRU number.
Galvalume also remained the same at $883.50 for .0142″ AZ 50, Grade 80 material.
Plate prices also remained the same at $525 for Platts and $531 for CRU.
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.
Note that SteelBenchmarker produces numbers twice per month. On the weeks they produce numbers we will include them in the average. The weeks where they do not produce numbers (NA = not available) we will not include their outdated numbers in the CPI average.

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.