Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges: All Products Grind Lower
Written by Brett Linton
October 18, 2022
Steel prices trended lower again this week, the second consecutive week of moderate declines, according to Steel Market Update sources. Sheet prices declined between $10–30 per net ton compared to last week, now at levels not seen since late 2020. Plate prices were broadly unchanged from last week, but are slowly easing towards levels last seen 15 months ago. These declines follow nearly two months of mostly sideways or modestly down prices.
Hot-rolled sheet and plate prices eased $10 per ton versus last week, while cold rolled and coated prices fell at a moderately faster rate of $20–30 per ton.
SMU holds its sheet price momentum indicators at Lower, while plate momentum remains at Neutral.
Hot-Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $700–760 per net ton ($35.00–38.00/cwt) with an average of $730 per ton ($36.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range decreased $10 per ton compared to one week ago. Our overall average is down $10 per ton from last week. Our price momentum indicator on hot-rolled steel points to Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Hot-Rolled Lead Times: 3–6 weeks
Cold-Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $1,000–1,100 per net ton ($50.00–55.00/cwt) with an average of $1,050 per ton ($52.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range decreased $40 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end remained unchanged. Our overall average is down $20 per ton from one week ago. Our price momentum indicator on cold-rolled steel points to Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Cold-Rolled Lead Times: 5–8 weeks
Galvanized Coil: SMU price range is $950–1,070 per net ton ($47.50–53.50/cwt) with an average of $1,010 per ton ($50.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range decreased $50 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end increased $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $20 per ton from last week. Our price momentum indicator on galvanized steel points to Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,047–1,167 per ton with an average of $1,107 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized Lead Times: 5–8 weeks
Galvalume Coil: SMU price range is $990–1,050 per net ton ($49.50-52.50/cwt) with an average of $1,020 per ton ($51.00/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 declined $50 per ton. Our overall average is down $30 per ton from one week ago. Our price momentum indicator on Galvalume steel points to Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,284–1,344 per ton with an average of $1,314 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume Lead Times: 5–7 weeks
Plate: SMU price range is $1,580–1,620 per net ton ($79.00–81.00/cwt) with an average of $1,600 per ton ($80.00/cwt) FOB mill. The lower end of our range decreased $20 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end remained unchanged. Our overall average is down $10 per ton from last week. Our price momentum indicator on plate steel points to Neutral until the market establishes a clear direction.
Plate Lead Times: 2–6 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. If you need help navigating the website or need to know your login information, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
By Brett Linton, Brett@SteelMarketUpdate.com
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
CRU: Longs pricing trends diverge in North, South America
Most longs prices in the US were unchanged this month, except for rebar, which declined by $1.50/cwt ($30/short ton) m/m. While end-use demand is stable, inventories are well-stocked, keeping purchases limited. Domestic availability is sufficient to meet current demand, hindering the appetite for imported material. Meanwhile, prices for scrap remained under pressure in June, with […]
Nucor cuts plate prices by $125/ton, cites ongoing competition
Nucor Corp. announced that its plate mill group would cut prices for as-rolled, discrete, and normalized plate with the opening of its August order book.
Nucor cuts HR price for fourth straight week
Nucor lowered its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil by another $10 per short ton (st) for the first week of July. The steelmaker said in a letter to customers on Monday that its CSP base price for the week will be $670/st for all of its sheet mills with the exception of California Steel Industries (CSI).
Cliffs sets $720/ton HR price with opening of August books
Cleveland-Cliffs on Tuesday announced its monthly hot-rolled (HR) coil price of $720 per short ton (st) with the official opening of its August order book. The rate is down from last month’s price of $800/st.
CRU: Demand weakness continues to weigh on global sheet markets
Demand has remained persistently weak across the globe for sheet steel, weighing on prices. US HR coil prices fell the furthest this week as high-volume, low-priced deals were transacted as mills looked to fill order books and competed with one another amid relative demand weakness. Meanwhile, European prices were also down due to low demand […]