Steel Products Prices North America

SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Wait-and-See Attitude Weighs on Demand

Written by Brett Linton

May 28, 2019

Prices declined further on all types of steel products in the past week, according to Steel Market Update sources. Demand appears soft as buyers wait to see if import offers pick up now that President Trump has cut tariffs on Canada, Mexico and Turkey.

Here is how we see prices this week:

Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $560-$630 per ton ($28.00/cwt-$31.50/cwt) with an average of $595 per ton ($29.75/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range fell $10 per ton compared to one week ago. Our overall average is down $10 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 days.

Hot Rolled Lead Times: 2-6 weeks

Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $740-$790 per ton ($37.00/cwt-$39.50/cwt) with an average of $765 per ton ($38.25/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range fell $10 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end declined $30 per ton. Our overall average is down $20 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is now at Lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.

Cold Rolled Lead Times: 4-9 weeks

Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $36.50/cwt-$38.50/cwt ($730-$770 per ton) with an average of $37.50/cwt ($750 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range declined $20 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end fell $40 per ton. Our overall average is down $30 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is now at Lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.

Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $808-$848 per net ton with an average of $828 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvanized Lead Times: 5-7 weeks

Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $37.50/cwt-$39.00/cwt ($750-$780 per ton) with an average of $38.25/cwt ($765 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range fell $10 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end declined $40 per ton. Our overall average is down $25 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume is now at Lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.

Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,041-$1,071 per net ton with an average of $1,056 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvalume Lead Times: 6-7 weeks

Plate: SMU price range is $860-$920 per ton ($43.00/cwt-$46.00/cwt) with an average of $890 per ton ($44.50/cwt) FOB delivered to the customer’s facility. The lower end of our range declined $30 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end decreased $40 per ton. Our overall average is down $35 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on plate steel is Lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.

Plate Lead Times: 4-5 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.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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