Steel Products Prices North America

Comparison Price Indices: Bull Market Continues
Written by John Packard
April 2, 2018
All three of the steel indexes followed by Steel Market Update reported their average prices this past week. The lag of SteelBenchmarker pricing is very evident as they lagged well behind our index as well as that of Platts.
Benchmark hot rolled prices averaged $870 per ton, according to SMU and Platts. SteelBenchmarker reported $825 per ton, $45 per ton below that of Platts/SMU.
Cold rolled prices rose with SMU reporting CRC as hitting $1,000 per ton ($50.00/cwt), while Platts was $3 per ton lower at $997 per ton. As with hot rolled, SteelBenchmarker was well below the other two steel indexes as they reported CRC at $951 per ton.
Galvanized prices also rose last week. SMU reported their average on .060” G90 as being $1,101 per ton, up $35 per ton for the week. Platts came in at $1,083 per ton, up $10 for the week.
Galvalume prices increased by $50 per ton on .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 and now average $1,326 per ton.
Plate prices were up by double digits with SMU averaging $980 per ton delivered and Platts $949 per ton delivered. SteelBenchmarker was up $45 per ton and now averages $924 per ton.
SMU Note: Galvanized prices include $86 in extras for a .060″ G90 product. Galvalume prices include $291 in extras for a .0142” AZ50 Grade 80 product.
FOB points for each index:
SMU: Domestic Mill, East of the Rockies.
SteelBenchmarker: Domestic Mill, East of the Mississippi.
Platts: Northern Indiana Domestic Mill.
Plate price FOB points are different for each of the indexes:
SMU: FOB Delivered to the Customer (includes freight)
Platts: FOB Midwest Mill (includes freight)
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 The weeks where they do not produce numbers (NA = not available) we will not include their outdated numbers in the CPI average.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

Thin demand keeps plate prices hovering at lowest levels since February
Participants in the domestic plate market say spot prices appear to have hit the floor, and they continue to linger there. They say demand for steel remains thin, with plate products no exception.

SMU Price Ranges: HR crawls back to $800/ton
SMU’s HR price stands at $800/st on average, up $5/st from last week. The modest gain came as the low end of our range firmed, and despite the high end of our range declining slightly.

SMU successfully completes IOSCO review
SMU has successfully completed an external review of all our prices. The review has concluded that they algin with principles set by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO).

Domestic plate prices could heat up despite so-so demand, market sources say
Some sources also speculated that plate could see further price increases thanks to modest but steady demand, lower imports, mill maintenance outages, and end markets less immediately affected by tariff-related disruptions.

SMU Price Ranges: HR holds, galv slips amid competing market narratives
SMU’s sheet and plate prices see-sawed this week as hot-rolled (HR) coil prices held their ground while prices for galvanized product slipped.