HRC vs. Plate Price Spread Rises to Four-Month High

With hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices falling faster than plate pricing, the price spread between the two flat-rolled products moved this week to its highest level since February.

The $1,955-per-net-ton all-time high of average HRC prices was reached in September 2021. Prices then turned downward before jumping up again in March and April 2022, affected by the uncertainty surrounding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Prices then began to decline, falling to a recent low of $615 per ton during the week of Thanksgiving 2022. Pricing moved upward from there, hitting a recent peak of $1,160 per ton during the week of April 11. Since then, HRC prices have been rapidly declining, with SMU’s most recent market check putting the average price at $875 per ton as of June 20.

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held various editorial positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills since 2007. She joined the SMU team in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

Laura Miller

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