Steel Prices

SMU price ranges: Markets quiet following Memorial Day
Written by Brett Linton
May 27, 2025
Sheet and plate prices marginally declined again this week for the second consecutive week, pausing the strong downward trend seen from April through early May.
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices declined $5 per short ton (st) to $840/st, the lowest price recorded in over three months. HRC prices have fallen in eight of the past 10 weeks and are $45/st lower than they were this time last month.
Our cold-rolled and galvanized indices also fell $5/st week over week (w/w), easing to $1,035/st and $1,010/st, respectively. Meanwhile, Galvalume prices held stable from last week at $1,040/st. Like HRC, tandem product prices have trended lower in the last two months, now $60-65/st lower than four weeks prior.
Plate prices declined for the third straight week, down $5/st w/w to $1,120/st. Prices are down $55/st from one month ago.
SMU’s price momentum indicator remains at lower for both sheet and plate products, signaling that we expect prices to trend lower over the next 30 days.
Refer to Table 1 (click to enlarge) for our latest price indices and trends.

Hot-rolled coil
The SMU price range is $780-900/st, averaging $840/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range is down $10/st w/w, while the top end is unchanged. Our overall average is down $5/st w/w. Our price momentum indicator for hot-rolled steel remains at lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.
Hot rolled lead times range from 3-6 weeks, averaging 4.6 weeks as of our May 15 market survey. We will publish updated lead times this Thursday.
Cold-rolled coil
The SMU price range is $980–1,090/st, averaging $1,035/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range is unchanged, while the top end is down $10/st w/w. Our overall average is down $5/st w/w. Our price momentum indicator for cold-rolled steel remains at lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.
Cold rolled lead times range from 5-8 weeks, averaging 6.5 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvanized coil
The SMU price range is $960–1,060/st, averaging $1,010/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range is unchanged, while the top end is down $10/st w/w. Our overall average is down $5/st w/w. Our price momentum indicator for galvanized steel remains at lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,057–1,157/st, averaging $1,107/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized lead times range from 4-8 weeks, averaging 6.2 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvalume coil
The SMU price range is $990–1,090/st, averaging $1,040/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Our entire range was unchanged w/w. Our price momentum indicator for Galvalume steel remains at lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, grade 80 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,284–1,384/st, averaging $1,334/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume lead times range from 6-8 weeks, averaging 6.8 weeks through our latest survey.
Plate
The SMU price range is $990–1,250/st, averaging $1,120/st FOB mill. The lower end of our range is down $10/st w/w, while the top end is unchanged. Our overall average is down $5/st w/w. Our price momentum indicator for plate remains at lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.
Plate lead times range from 4-7 weeks, averaging 5.2 weeks through our latest survey.

SMU note: Above is a graphic showing our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Galvalume, and plate price history. This data is also available 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.

Brett Linton
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