Market Data
May 26, 2026
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate markets tighten
Written by Brett Linton
All five of SMU’s sheet and plate price indices increased this week to new multi-year highs. Prices increased between $5-20 per short ton (st) from last week and are $25-60/st higher than they were one month ago.
Buyers continue to report a tight market where spot tons can be difficult to source. Both sheet and plate prices continue to inch higher, supported by low inventories and extended lead times. In recent weeks, we have seen mills begin increasing cold rolled and coated prices at a faster pace than hot rolled in order to widen the spread between these products.
Our hot-rolled index rose by $5/st week over week (w/w) to $1,095/st, the highest on record since May 2023.
Tandem products all increased to highs last seen in the early months of 2024. Cold rolled and galvanized both rose $20/st w/w to $1,280/st and $1,260/st, respectively. Galvalume increased $15/st to $1,270st.
Our plate index rose $15/st w/w to $1,260/st, the highest it has been since March 2024.
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: $1,070–1,120/st, averaging $1,095/st
The lower end of our range is unchanged w/w, while the top end is up $10/st. Our overall average is up $5/st w/w.
Hot-rolled lead times range from 5–11 weeks, averaging 7.0 weeks as of our May 14 market survey. We will publish updated lead times on Thursday.
Cold-rolled coil: $1,260–1,300/st, averaging $1,280/st
The lower end of our range is up $30/st w/w, while the top end is up $10/st. Our overall average is up $20/st w/w.
Cold-rolled lead times range from 6–11 weeks, averaging 8.4 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvanized coil: $1,240–1,280/st, averaging $1,260/st
The lower end of our range is up $40/st w/w, while the top end is unchanged. Our overall average is up $20/st w/w.
Galvanized .060×48” G90 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,330–1,370/st, averaging $1,350/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized lead times range from 6–11 weeks, averaging 8.1 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvalume coil: $1,240–1,300/st, averaging $1,270/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.
Galvalume .0142×42” AZ50, grade 80 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,770–1,830/st, averaging $1,800/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Note that we have increased the coating extras on our Galvalume index to match the latest U.S. Steel price book available. Coating extras may vary by mill due to rising zinc and aluminum costs.
Galvalume lead times range from 6–12 weeks, averaging 8.2 weeks through our latest survey.
Plate: $1,220–1,300/st, averaging $1,260/st
The lower end of our range is up $10/st w/w, while the top end is up $20/st. Our overall average is up $15/st w/w.
Plate lead times range from 5–8 weeks, averaging 7.1 weeks through our latest survey.
