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    June 30, 2026

    SMU Price Ranges: HR and plate up, CR and coated hold steady

    Written by Brett Linton & Michael Cowden

    Hot-rolled (HR) coil and plate prices continued to tick higher even as cold-rolled (CR) and coated prices came in unchanged, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.

    Nucor keeping its consumer spot price (CSP) for hot-rolled (HR) coil unchanged made waves in futures and equities markets. But physical market participants said they’d seen no change in underlying conditions of tight supplies and stable/good demand. And some said Nucor’s goal might have been to slow price gains out of concern about increased import volumes.

    Also notable: Market participants said one large domestic mill has had more spot availability recently. Some said the increased availability might result from typical summertime automotive shutdowns. Others said it could stem from the steelmaker favoring higher priced spot tons over lower, fix-priced contract volumes. (Such fixed-price contracts are typically heavily tilted toward automotive customers.)

    All told, SMU’s HR price stands at $1,160 per short ton (st) on average, up $15/st from last week and up $55/st from a month ago. Current HR prices now match the highwater mark recorded in 2023, according to our price archives. Any additional gains would put them in territory not seen since 2022 in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

    Cold-rolled, galvanized, and Galvalume base prices, meanwhile, remained unchanged at $1,360/st, $1,340/st, and $1,350/st, respectively.

    Plate prices rose $30/st week over week to $1,320/st on average. They’re at their highest level since February 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: $1,120–1,200/st, averaging $1,160/st

    The lower end of our range is unchanged week over week (w/w), while the top end is up $30/st. Our overall average is up $15/st w/w.

    Hot-rolled lead times range from 6–12 weeks, averaging 7.7 weeks as of our June 25 market survey.

    Cold-rolled coil: $1,320–1,400/st, averaging $1,360/st

    Our range is unchanged w/w.

    Cold-rolled lead times range from 7–12 weeks, averaging 9.3 weeks through our latest survey.

    Galvanized coil: $1,300–1,380/st, averaging $1,340/st

    Our range is unchanged w/w.

    Galvanized .060×48” G90 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,399–1,479/st, averaging $1,439/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Note that this spec includes $99/st in mill extras, and extras may vary by mill.

    Galvanized lead times range from 7–11 weeks, averaging 9.0 weeks through our latest survey.

    Galvalume coil: $1,300–1,400/st, averaging $1,350/st

    Our range is unchanged w/w.

    Galvalume .0142×42” AZ50, grade 80 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,900–2,000/st, averaging $1,950/st FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Note that this spec includes $600/st in mill extras, and extras may vary by mill.

    Galvalume lead times range from 8–11 weeks, averaging 8.5 weeks through our latest survey.

    Plate: $1,290–1,350/st, averaging $1,320/st

    The lower end of our range is up $50/st w/w, while the top end is up $10/st. Our overall average is up $30/st w/w.

    Plate lead times range from 6–12 weeks, averaging 8.0 weeks through our latest survey.

    Brett Linton

    Brett Linton is a digital operations 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.

    Read more from Brett Linton

    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.

    Read more from Michael Cowden

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