SMU price ranges: Sheet mixed as market awaits post-holiday direction

Written by David Schollaert & Michael Cowden

Sheet prices were mixed in SMU’s first assessment of the market in the New Year. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices inched up modestly while prices for cold-rolled coil (CRC) and coated products slipped.

SMU’s HRC price now stands at $1,045 per net ton on average, up $5 per ton from our last assessment in December. CRC and galvanized base prices both average $1,285 per ton. That’s down $20 per ton for CRC and down $10 per ton for galv. Galvalume averages $1,315 per ton, also down $20 per ton from our prior assessment.

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.

Michael Cowden

Michael Cowden is editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. Cowden has covered the steel industry since 2007. He specializes in flat-rolled steel but has also reported on steel long products, steel pipe and tube, and aluminum. Before joining SMU, Cowden held reporting jobs at Fastmarkets AMM in Chicago, the Associated Press in Pittsburgh, and the Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He has also worked as a copy editor and in marketing at the University of Chicago Press. Cowden has a BA in English from the University of Chicago and an MSJ journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Contact him at michael@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7872.