SMU Price Ranges: Flat-Rolled Price Gains Slow

Flat-rolled steel prices are still trending up in the wake of recent mill tag hikes, albeit at a slower pace this week. We’ve seen a rather notable market cycle over the past 15-plus weeks with repeated price hikes. Is it starting to peter out, or just catching its breath?

Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices have increased by a minimum of $30 per ton week on week (WoW) since late November. Through February alone, tags rose on average by more than $65 per ton weekly and have surged by more than $525 per ton – an 85% jump – since the rally first began last Thanksgiving.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.