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
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America

Nucor CSP remains level at $900/ton
Nucor maintained its weekly list price for hot-rolled (HR) coil this week, following two consecutive increases.

Cliffs raises prices, seeks $950/ton for July spot HR
Cleveland-Cliffs plans to increase prices for hot-rolled (HR) coil to $950 per short ton (st) with the opening of its July spot order book. The Cleveland-based steelmaker said the price hike was effective immediately in a letter to customers dated Monday.

HRC vs. prime scrap spread widens in June
The price spread between HRC and prime scrap widened in June.

SMU price ranges: Steel prices rise in response to tariffs
Steel prices climbed for a second straight week across all five sheet and plate products tracked by SMU.

Nucor lifts list price for spot HRC by $20/ton
The $20/short ton increase applies to all of the steelmaker’s sheet mills, including West Coast joint-venture subsidiary CSI.