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    SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Mixed Numbers This Week

    Written by Brett Linton


    Flat rolled steel prices were mixed this week as benchmark hot rolled rose $10 per ton and is now up $20 per ton from the cycle low. Cold rolled remained within the range we reported last week and our average on CR is unchanged. Galvanized pricing data was mixed with a couple of mills cutting lower deals this week than last. Our GI average is down $15 per ton, and there are definite questions regarding the strength of GI at the top end of our range. Galvalume is seen as firm and unchanged from one week ago.

    The domestic steel mills began raising plate prices by $40 per ton earlier today. We are seeing plate prices as unchanged from last week, and our price momentum indicator on plate is Neutral

    Brett Linton

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    Plate supply squeeze tightens as demand presses higher

    The domestic plate market is showing few signs of relief for steel buyers. Lead times are stretching well beyond seasonal norms, spot availability has all but evaporated, and mills are drawing hard lines on contract volumes heading into 2027 negotiations. And the supply squeeze will likely intensify in a market that some industry sources say is structurally undersupplied because of stringent US trade and tariff policies. Imports have been arriving in larger volumes, and the expectation is they will continue to tick higher into 2027. The big question is whether those foreign tons will arrive in volumes sufficient to provide the relief steel consumers want.