Most sheet and plate prices edged lower again this week, albeit at a slower pace compared to the movements seen over the last seven weeks. Buyers remain cautious and hesitant to hold onto much inventory, citing lingering demand concerns, ongoing tariff uncertainty, and a potentially weakening scrap market in June.
All of SMU’s sheet and plate steel price indices declined this week, easing by $30-40 per short ton (st) on average since early May. Prices continue to slide lower as buyers remain on the sidelines, wary of holding much excess inventory and expecting further declines.
Steel buyers said Nucor’s price decrease was a public acknowledgement of what most of the market had already known - that sheet prices were moving lower in a more significant way. The question now is whether mills and service centers will manage the decline or whether prices might fall rapidly, they said.
Most sheet and plate steel prices declined yet again this week, with four of SMU’s five indices moving lower.
Steel prices slipped again this week, with all five of SMU’s sheet and plate indices trending lower for the second week in a row.
This week is the first time all of our indices have moved lower in unison since July 2024.
Sheet and plate prices were mixed on Tuesday as the market took a wait-and-see approach to the Trump administration’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.
SMU's steel price indices moved in differing directions this week but remained largely stable as cautious buyers await clarity on pending steel tariffs and trade cases.
Steel prices were stable to higher this week for the second consecutive week across the sheet and plate products tracked by SMU. Three of our price indices increased from the previous week, while two held firm.
After over a month of increases, steel prices paused this week for some of the products tracked by SMU. Three of our price indices continued to climb, while two held steady from the prior week.
Market participants might disagree over how high flat-rolled steel price might go and for how long they might remain elevated. But there is near total agreement on one thing: Prices are up sharply again this week. The gains come on the heels of waves of mill price increases (for sheet and for plate), expectations that scrap prices will rise again in March, and the threat of tariffs looming over the market.
Each of the steel product prices tracked by SMU saw significant increases this week. All four of our sheet price indices rose by $30-50 per short ton (st) on average. Plate prices popped $60/st compared to the week prior.
SMU’s steel price indices rose across the board this week. Sheet prices increased as much as $35 per short ton (st) compared to last week, while our average plate price ticked up by$10/st.
Steel prices ticked lower this week for four of the five products SMU tracks, according to our latest canvass of the sheet and plate markets. Following last week’s bump, our hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized, and plate indices all edged lower this week by $5-15 per short ton (st) on average. Galvalume was the only […]
We have seen very little change in sheet and plate prices across the past month.
Steel prices have remained relatively stable in recent weeks, though they have generally trended downward since October.
Steel sheet prices remain at or near multi-month lows, while plate prices continue edging lower from their mid-2022 peak.
SMU's price indices saw minor fluctuations on sheet products this week, while our plate and Galvalume indices held steady.
SMU’s flat-rolled steel prices were mixed this week with slight declines across most products and a modest increase in prices for cold-rolled coil.
Prices for sheet and plate products were mixed this week. While market participants have noted a post-election uptick in activity, most said that it was (so far) nothing to write home about.
SMU price indices edged lower this week for all products but one, marking the fifth consecutive week of overall declining prices.
SMU price indices declined again this week for all products other than hot-rolled sheet. Our indices have trended lower across October, falling as much as $75 per short ton (st) in that time.
Steel sheet prices mostly edged lower for a second week, while plate prices slipped for the third consecutive week.
SMU’s steel price indices were mixed this week as the market seeks direction. All of our indices have fluctuated within relatively narrow ranges across September.
SMU’s steel price indices were steady to higher this week. Each of our sheet indices crept upwards from last week, while our plate index was unchanged.
SMU’s steel price indices showed mixed signals for a second consecutive week. Our hot rolled, cold rolled, and plate price indices inched lower from last week, as the galvanized index held steady and Galvalume's ticked higher.
SMU indices moved higher on cold rolled products this week, while galvanized prices were flat. Our indices for plate, hot rolled, and Galvalume all edged lower.
A month ago, when we last presented this column, there was a surprising amount of optimism in the presumably imminent reversal of the downtrend in hot-rolled steel prices in the second half of this year.
Nucor’s Consumer Spot Price (CSP), a legitimate mill offer price, is a potential disruptor to North American steel sheet commercial and procurement strategies. We will dive into the details of what we think the CSP is and why we believe it is a potential disruption to how the North American sheet market operates.
Offshore cold-rolled (CR) coil prices remain a cheaper option over domestic product, even as US CR coil prices tick lower, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.