Steel Products Prices North America

SMU Price Ranges & Indices: No Traction
Written by Brett Linton
February 5, 2020
Steel prices can’t seem to gain any traction, as hot rolled, cold rolled and plate saw small declines this past week, while coated steel prices saw a small uptick. Steel Market Update’s Price Momentum Indicators remain pointing higher, but with less confidence about the trend.
Here is how we see prices this week:
Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $570-$600 per ton ($28.50-$30.00/cwt) with an average of $585 per ton ($29.25/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained unchanged compared to one week ago, while the upper end decreased $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $5 per ton over last week. Our price momentum on hot rolled steel is Higher, meaning we expect prices to increase over the next 30 days.
Hot Rolled Lead Times: 3-5 weeks
Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $750-$780 per ton ($37.50-$39.00/cwt) with an average of $765 per ton ($38.25/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range decreased $10 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end decreased $40 per ton. Our overall average is down $25 per ton over one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is Higher, meaning we expect prices to increase over the next 30 days.
Cold Rolled Lead Times: 5-8 weeks
Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $37.50-$40.00/cwt ($750-$800 per ton) with an average of $38.75/cwt ($775 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained unchanged compared to one week ago, while the upper end increased $10 per ton. Our overall average is up $5 per ton over last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is Higher, meaning we expect prices to increase over the next 30 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $819-$869 per net ton with an average of $844 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized Lead Times: 4-8 weeks
Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $39.00-$40.00/cwt ($780-$800 per ton) with an average of $39.50/cwt ($790 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range increased $20 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end decreased $10 per ton. Our overall average is up $5 per ton over one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume steel is Higher, meaning we expect prices to increase over the next 30 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,071-$1,091 per net ton with an average of $1,081 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume Lead Times: 7-8 weeks
Plate: SMU price range is $680-$720 per ton ($34.00-$36.00/cwt) with an average of $700 per ton ($35.00/cwt) FOB delivered to the customer’s facility. The lower end of our range remained unchanged compared to one week ago, while the upper end decreased $20 per ton. Our overall average is down $10 per ton over last week. Our price momentum on plate steel is Higher, meaning we expect prices to increase 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
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