Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Prices Slowly Retreating
Written by John Packard
September 26, 2017
When asked to comment on spot flat rolled steel prices this week, the president of a medium-sized service center told SMU, “Drifting. Demand seems down.” He went on to report that even with AK Steel and ArcelorMittal reporting extending lead times, the market “feels soft.” Other steel buyers reported that their perception of the market depended on which steel mills they were speaking with. As we canvassed service centers and manufacturing steel buyers, we found a slight dip in the hot rolled numbers ($5/ton) and a little larger dip in cold rolled and coated steel numbers. Only steel plate was spared this week.
Here is how we see prices this week:
Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $590-$630 per ton ($29.50/cwt-$31.50/cwt) with an average of $610 per ton ($30.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained the same compared to one week ago while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $5 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on hot rolled steel is pointing to Lower indicating prices are expected to decline over the next 30 days.
Hot Rolled Lead Times: 2-5 weeks
Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $760-$800 per ton ($38.00/cwt-$40.00/cwt) with an average of $780 per ton ($39.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range decreased $10 per ton compared to last week while the upper end declined $30 per ton. Our overall average declined $20 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is pointing to Lower indicating prices are expected to decline over the next 30 days.
Cold Rolled Lead Times: 5-8 weeks
Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $37.50/cwt-$41.00/cwt ($750-$820 per ton) with an average of $39.25/cwt ($785 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the upper and lower ends of our range declined $10 per ton compared to one week ago. Our overall average is down $10 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is pointing to Lower indicating prices are expected to decline over the next 30 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $828-$898 per net ton with an average of $863 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies. A note to our readers who also review other galvanized indexes: Right now, not all indexes are using the same G90 zinc coating extra on benchmark .060″ material. SMU uses $78 per ton while at least one other index is using $86 per ton, which reflects the price change made by NLMK USA. SMU has not yet made a change as we wait for U.S. Steel, ArcelorMittal USA and Nucor to make adjustments to their extras.
Galvanized Lead Times: 4-8 weeks
Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $38.00/cwt-$41.50/cwt ($760-$830 per ton) with an average of $39.75/cwt ($795 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range decreased $20 per ton compared to last week while the upper end remained the same. Our overall average declined $10 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume steel is pointing to Lower indicating prices are expected to decline over the next 30 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,051-$1,121 per net ton with an average of $1,086 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume Lead Times: 4-7 weeks
Plate: SMU price range is $670-$720 per ton ($33.50/cwt-$36.00/cwt) with an average of $695 per ton ($34.75/cwt) FOB delivered. The lower end of our range increased $10 per ton compared to one week ago while the upper end remained the same. Our overall average is up $5 per ton over the past week. Our price momentum on plate steel is pointing to Lower indicating prices are expected to decline over the next 30 days.
Plate Lead Times: 3-5 weeks
SMU Note: Below is a graphic showing our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, and Galvalume price history. We will add plate prices to this graph once we have gathered a few months of data. To use the graph’s interactive capabilities, you must view it on our website here. If you need help navigating the website or need to know your login information, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or by calling 800-432-3475.
John Packard
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