SMU Price Ranges: Sheet prices tick (mostly) upward for yet another week

Cold-rolled (CR) coil prices averaged $1,430/st in our latest check of the market, down $10/st from the week prior. But as best as we can tell, the move reflects typical week-to-week variation and no change in market conditions.

Plate prices, meanwhile, were flat at $1,395/st on average.

Several market participants said they couldn’t get spot pricing from their mills. And some said that, if they could get spot tons, the numbers would likely be higher than our published ranges.

Some also continued to voice frustration with ongoing delays at certain domestic producers. “It’s one thing to overpay. It’s another thing to have to shut down plants because your steel is months late – that’s the kind of thing that gets people fired,” one service center source said.

With domestic supply tight and the gap between US and world prices so wide, there was chatter that foreign material could begin to blunt domestic pricing momentum in the fall.

There is already some data to support that theory. The US will import at least 566,825 metric tons of flat-rolled steel in August, according to license data updated last week. That figure does not reflect volumes for the full month. Even so, it represents the highest month for imports since 570,504 metric tons in August 2025.

“Import volume is rising,” one industry source said. “The question is, how long will (domestic pricing momentum) last? I really don’t know. But it’s not so bad out there right now.”

And with most other sources still bullish about their prospects, SMU’s price momentum indicators remain 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: $1,180–1,230/st, averaging $1,205/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 5–12 weeks, averaging 7.6 weeks as of our Aug. 19 market survey. We will publish updated lead times on Thursday.

Cold-rolled coil: $1,400–1,460/st, averaging $1,430/st

The lower end of our range is down $20/st w/w, while the top end is unchanged. Our overall average is down $10/st w/w.

Cold-rolled lead times range from 7–12 weeks, averaging 8.7 weeks through our latest survey.

Galvanized coil: $1,400–1,480/st, averaging $1,440/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.

Galvanized .060×48” G90 benchmark: SMU price range is $1,499–1,579/st, averaging $1,539/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 8.9 weeks through our latest survey.

Galvalume coil: $1,400–1,480/st, averaging $1,440/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.

Galvalume .0142×42” AZ50, grade 80 benchmark: SMU price range is $2,000–2,080/st, averaging $2,040/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 8.9 weeks through our latest survey.

Plate: $1,360–1,430/st, averaging $1,395/st

Our entire range is unchanged w/w.

Plate lead times range from 7–12 weeks, averaging 9.1 weeks through our latest survey.