Steel Prices

SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate hold steady

Written by Brett Linton

August 26, 2025

Steel prices remained largely unchanged this week, staying at or near lows last seen in February. All five sheet and plate products tracked by SMU moved by no more than $5 per short ton (st) from the previous week.

Hot-rolled coil and plate prices were both unchanged from last week. Tandem products saw minor shifts, with our cold rolled and galvanized averages rising $5/st week over week (w/w), and Galvalume eased $5/st.

Following last week’s move from neutral, SMU’s price momentum indicator remains pointing lower on both sheet and plate, signaling prices are expected to ease in the short term.

Refer to Table 1 (click to enlarge) for our latest price indices and trends.

Hot-rolled coil

The SMU price range is $750–860/st, averaging $805/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Our range is unchanged 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 4.4 weeks as of our August 21 market survey.

Cold-rolled coil

The SMU price range is $930–1,060/st, averaging $995/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range is up $10/st w/w, while the top end is unchanged. Our overall average is up $5/st w/w. Our price momentum indicator for cold-rolled remains lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.

Cold-rolled lead times range from 4–9 weeks, averaging 6.1 weeks through our latest survey.

Galvanized coil

The SMU price range is $890–1,060/st, averaging $975/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range is down $10/st w/w, while the top end is up $20/st. Our overall average is up $5/st w/w. Our price momentum indicator for galvanized steel remains lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days

Galvanized .060” G90 benchmark: SMU price range is $968–1,138/st, averaging $1,053/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvanized lead times range from 4–9 weeks, averaging 6.2 weeks through our latest survey.

Galvalume coil

The SMU price range is $890–1,060/st, averaging $975/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 Galvalume steel remains lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.

Galvalume .0142” AZ50, grade 80 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,158–1,328/st, averaging $1,243/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvalume lead times range from 4–8 weeks, averaging 6.2 weeks through our latest survey.

Plate

The SMU price range is $980–1,080/st, averaging $1,030/st FOB mill. Our range is unchanged w/w. Our price momentum indicator for plate remains lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.

Plate lead times range from 3–7 weeks, averaging 5.4 weeks through our latest survey.

SMU note: The graphic above shows a history of our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Galvalume, and plate prices. This data is also available on our website with our interactive pricing tool. If you need help navigating the site or logging in, contact us at info@steelmarketupdate.com.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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