Steel Products Prices North America

SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Flat Rolled Down Again
Written by Brett Linton
August 30, 2018
Flat rolled steel prices declined over the past week. We saw prices drop by $15 per ton on all products except hot rolled, which was down $5 per ton. Plate prices remained the same with prices essentially rolling over for many customers from October to November. However, plate buyers are warning SMU of maintenance issues and lack of foreign that should keep plate prices up once we move into December.
Here is how we see prices this week:
Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $860-$900 per ton ($43.00/cwt-$45.00/cwt) with an average of $880 per ton ($44.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained the same compared to one week ago, while the upper end dropped $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $5 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on hot rolled steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Hot Rolled Lead Times: 3-6 weeks
Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $940-$1,000 per ton ($47.00/cwt-$50.00/cwt) with an average of $970 per ton ($48.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range declined $20 per ton compared to last week, while the upper dropped $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $15 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Cold Rolled Lead Times: 5-8 weeks
Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $47.00/cwt-$50.0/cwt ($940-$1,000 per ton) with an average of $48.50/cwt ($970 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range dropped $20 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $15 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,026-$1,086 per net ton with an average of $1,056 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized Lead Times: 5-9 weeks
Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $48.00/cwt-$50.00/cwt ($960-$1,000 per ton) with an average of $49.00/cwt ($980 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range declined $10 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end dropped $20 per ton. Our overall average is down $15 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,251-$1,291 per net ton with an average of $1,271 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume Lead Times: 5-8 weeks
Plate: SMU price range is $960-$1,010 per ton ($48.00/cwt-$50.50/cwt) with an average of $985 per ton ($49.25/cwt) FOB the customer’s facility for orders to be delivered during the month of November. The lower end of our range remained the same compared to one week ago as did the upper end. Our overall average is the same as one week ago. Our price momentum on plate steel is for higher prices once the mills open their December order books. The plate mills are on controlled order entry and are expected to remain that way over the next 30 days or longer.
Plate Lead Times: 5-9 weeks, allocation/controlled order entry
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.

Brett Linton
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