Market Data
July 28, 2026
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate markets grind higher
Written by Brett Linton
SMU’s sheet and plate price indices were steady to higher this week, with all products at multi-year highs. Prices have increased by as much as $40 per short ton (st) over the past month and are up $235-320/st (25-31%) since the start of the year.
Buyers continue to report limited spot availability, with some reporting they are receiving “no quotes” from mills on some sheet products. Ongoing extended lead times, mill outages, and low inventories continue to support the strong market.
Our hot-rolled index held at $1,165/st, the highest it has been in over four years. Cold rolled increased $10/st from last week to $1,375/st, the highest level recorded since April 2023.
Coated products each increased $5/st this week. Galvanized is up to a four-year high of $1,380/st, and Galvalume increased to a three-year high of $1,385/st.
Plate rose $5/st week over week (w/w) to a two-and-a-half-year high of $1,355/st.
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: $1,130–1,200/st, averaging $1,165/st
Our range is unchanged w/w.
Hot-rolled lead times range from 5–12 weeks, averaging 7.8 weeks as of our July 22 market survey.
Cold-rolled coil: $1,330–1,420/st, averaging $1,375/st
The lower end of our range is unchanged w/w, while the top end is up $20/st. Our overall average is up $10/st w/w.
Cold-rolled lead times range from 6–12 weeks, averaging 8.9 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvanized coil: $1,340–1,420/st, averaging $1,380/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.
Galvanized .060×48” G90 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,439–1,519/st, averaging $1,479/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 6–12 weeks, averaging 9.0 weeks through our latest survey.
Galvalume coil: $1,340–1,430/st, averaging $1,385/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.
Galvalume .0142×42” AZ50, grade 80 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,940–2,030/st, averaging $1,985/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 6–12 weeks, averaging 8.8 weeks through our latest survey.
Plate: $1,310–1,400/st, averaging $1,355/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 6–11 weeks, averaging 8.8 weeks through our latest survey.
