Market Data
March 17, 2026
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate markets tick higher
Written by Brett Linton
Each of SMU’s sheet and plate price indices climbed higher this week, with some products rising to multi-year highs. Sheet prices increased between $10-20 per short ton (st) from last week, while plate inched up $5/st. Prices are between $30-95/st higher than they were one month ago.
Supply remains tight, with buyers reporting limited mill availability alongside tightening inventories. Our editor in chief Michael Cowden explored this further in the Sunday Final Thoughts.
Two of our indices are now up to levels not seen in over two years. Our hot-rolled index is at $1,015/st this week and cold rolled is at $1,170, rates last seen in the early months of 2024.
Coated prices are nearing one-year highs; galvanized rose to $1,140/st and Galvalume increased to $1,155/st, territory they were last in in March/April 2025.
Following last week’s jump, plate ticked up to $1,150/st this week, the highest it has been since June 2025.
SMU’s price momentum indicator remains at higher for both sheet and plate products, signaling that we expect prices to increase further in the short term.
Refer to Table 1 (click to enlarge) for our latest price indices and trends.
Hot-rolled coil: $1,000–1,030/st, averaging $1,015/st
Our entire range is up $10/st week over week (w/w).
Hot-rolled lead times range from 4–8 weeks, averaging 5.9 weeks as of our March 4 market survey. We will publish updated lead times on Thursday.
Cold-rolled coil: $1,140–1,200/st, averaging $1,170/st
The lower end of our range is up $30/st w/w, while the top end is unchanged. Our overall average is up $15/st w/w.
Cold-rolled lead times range from 6–10 weeks, averaging 7.6 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvanized coil: $1,100–1,180/st, averaging $1,140/st
The lower end of our range is unchanged w/w, while the top end is up $30/st. Our overall average is up $15/st w/w.
Galvanized .060×48” G90 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,190–1,270/st, averaging $1,230/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized lead times range from 6–10 weeks, averaging 7.3 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvalume coil: $1,110–1,200/st, averaging $1,155/st
The lower end of our range is unchanged w/w, while the top end is up $40/st. Our overall average is up $20/st w/w.
Galvalume .0142×42” AZ50, grade 80 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,539–1,629/st, averaging $1,584/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume lead times range from 6–10 weeks, averaging 7.9 weeks through our latest survey.
Plate: $1,100–1,200/st, averaging $1,150/st
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.
Plate lead times range from 6–8 weeks, averaging 6.5 weeks through our latest survey.
