Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges & Indices: HRC Falling Back to Earth
Written by Brett Linton
January 11, 2022
As widely expected, steel prices continued to slide this week with hot rolled dipping below $1,500 per ton for the first time since April 2021. The big difference being that last April the HR price was on an upward trajectory that would eventually take it to a high of $1,955 per in early September. Since then the price has been heading rapidly back to earth, now down by $475 per ton, or about 24%, from its peak. Where it will land, no one knows. Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week puts the average HR price at $1,480 per ton, down $55 from last week. Cold rolled and galvanized prices experienced similar declines of $30-45 per ton. SMU’s price momentum indicators are pointing Lower for all flat rolled products, which are expected to see further declines in the next 30 days, and possibly beyond. Plate prices seem to be the exception, registering a modest increase this week.
Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $1,400-$1,560 per net ton ($70.00-$78.00/cwt) with an average of $1,480 per ton ($74.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained unchanged compared to one week ago, while the upper end decreased $110 per ton. Our overall average is down $55 per ton from last week. Our price momentum on hot rolled steel is at Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Hot Rolled Lead Times: 3-8 weeks
Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $1,800-$1,960 per net ton ($90.00-$98.00/cwt) with an average of $1,880 per ton ($94.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained unchanged compared to last week, while the upper end decreased $60 per ton. Our overall average is down $30 per ton from one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is at Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Cold Rolled Lead Times: 4-10 weeks
Galvanized Coil: SMU price range is $1,800-$1,960 per net ton ($90.00-$98.00/cwt) with an average of $1,880 per ton ($94.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained unchanged compared to one week ago, while the upper end decreased $90 per ton. Our overall average is down $45 per ton from last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is at Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,887-$2,047 per ton with an average of $1,967 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized Lead Times: 4-11 weeks
Galvalume Coil: SMU price range is $1,800-$2,000 per net ton ($90.00-$100.00/cwt) with an average of $1,900 per ton ($95.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range remained the same compared to last week. Our overall average is unchanged from one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume steel is at Lower, meaning we expect prices to decrease over the next 30 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $2,091-$2,291 per ton with an average of $2,191 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume Lead Times: 5-10 weeks
Plate: SMU price range is $1,810-$1,840 per net ton ($90.50-$92.00/cwt) with an average of $1,825 per ton ($91.25/cwt) FOB mill. The lower end of our range increased $60 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end increased $20. Our overall average is up $40 per ton from last week. Our price momentum on plate steel remains at Neutral until the market establishes a clear direction.
Plate Lead Times: 4-8 weeks
SMU Note: Below is a graphic showing our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, Galvalume, and plate price history. This data is available here on our website with our interactive pricing tool. If you need help navigating the website or need to know your login information, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
SMU price ranges: Sheet, plate largely unchanged
Sheet prices varied this week. While hot-rolled (HR) coil pricing was largely flat, cold-rolled (CR) coil and tandem product pricing eased slightly reflecting the momentum shift seen last week for HR coil. SMU’s average HR coil price was flat from last week at $835 per short ton (st) – potentially emphasizing the tension between competing […]
Nucor posts $830/ton spot HR price for week of April 8
Nucor said its spot hot-rolled (HR) coil price this week will be $830 per short ton (st).
US HR prices rebound, no longer near parity with imports
US hot-rolled coil and offshore hot band moved further away from parity this week as stateside prices have begun to move higher in response to mill increases.
Galvanized buyers report solid demand, balanced inventories
Galvanized buyers reported solid demand and balanced inventories this week and were anticipating the sheet price increase announced by Cleveland-Cliffs on Wednesday.
HRC vs. CRC price spread jumps in second week of new year
The spread between cold-rolled coil (CRC) and hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices jumped during the week of Jan. 8 as cold rolled tags continued to rise while hot rolled tags held steady.