Steel Products Prices North America

SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Brought to You by the U.S. Government

February 27, 2018

We had another week of “up” pricing as everyone tries to grapple with the impact of Section 232 tariffs. One thing does appear to be a certainty – the laws of supply and demand are now clearly in the hands of the U.S. government.

Here is how we see prices this week:

Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $800-$840 per ton ($40.00/cwt-$42.00/cwt) with an average of $820 per ton ($41.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range increased $20 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end rose $40 per ton. Our overall average is up $30 compared to last week. Our price momentum on hot rolled steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Hot Rolled Lead Times: 4-8 weeks

Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $880-$940 per ton ($44.00/cwt-$47.00/cwt) with an average of $910 per ton ($45.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained the same compared to last week, while the upper end rose $10 per ton. Our overall average is up $5 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Cold Rolled Lead Times: 5-10 weeks

Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $43.50/cwt-$47.00/cwt ($870-$940 per ton) with an average of $45.25/cwt ($905 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range increased $10 per ton compared to one week ago. Our overall average is up $10 compared to last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $956-$1,026 per net ton with an average of $991 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvanized Lead Times: 5-12 weeks

Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $44.00/cwt-$47.50/cwt ($880-$950 per ton) with an average of $45.75/cwt ($915 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 rose $20 per ton. Our overall average is up $15 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,171-$1,241 per net ton with an average of $1,206 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvalume Lead Times: 6-8 weeks

Plate: SMU price range is $870-$920 per ton ($43.50/cwt-$46.00/cwt) with an average of $895 per ton ($44.75/cwt) FOB delivered. The lower end of our range remained the same compared to one week ago, while the upper end increased $40 per ton. Our overall average is up $20 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on plate steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days. We have limited responses on our inquiries from plate buyers this week, so we will be reviewing the plate numbers in more detail on Wednesday and Thursday.

Plate Lead Times: 6-10+ weeks

SMU Note: Below is a graphic showing our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Galvalume, and plate price history. This data is available here on our website with our interactive pricing tool. Note that plate prices are not yet available on our website, but we are in the process of adding that dataset. If you need help navigating the website or need to know your login information, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or 800-432-3475.