Steel Products Prices North America

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

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

Nucor carries $875/ton HR list price into week seven
Nucor is keeping hot-rolled (HR) coil prices unchanged again this week, according to its latest consumer spot price (CSP) notice issued on Monday, Oct. 6

SMU Price Ranges: A newsy week sees modest price gains despite a quiet spot market
Market participants predicted that prices should be at or near a bottom. But while most seemed to agree on that point, many also said they saw little upside given a quiet spot market and ongoing concerns about demand.

Nucor increases plate prices by $60/ton
Nucor aims to increase prices for steel plate by $60 per short ton with the opening of its November order book.

Nucor’s $875/ton HR spot price spills into week six
Nucor is keeping hot-rolled (HR) coil prices unchanged again this week, according to its latest consumer spot price (CSP) notice issued on Monday, Sept. 29.

SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate flat or down as hopes of rebound meet ‘blah’ demand
Sheet and plate prices were flat or lower this week as less discounting from domestic mills was offset by few signs of an anticipated rebound in demand.