Steel Products Prices North America

SMU Ranges & Indices: Prices Slip

Written by Brett Linton

January 14, 2014

Flat rolled steel prices began to slip this week as some short term weakness was seen in domestic mill order books and lead times. Benchmark hot rolled is perhaps the weakest product based on our discussions with buyers around the eastern half of the United States and into Canada. The biggest reason behind the slippage was reported to be the shortening of lead times which has led to a number of mills out searching for new orders.

Here is how we are seeing prices this week:

Hot Rolled Coil: SMU Range is $650-$690 per ton ($32.50/cwt- $34.50/cwt) with an average of $670 per ton ($33.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range decreased by $10 per ton compared to last week’s prices. Our average is now $10 per ton lower compared to last week. Our expectation is for hot rolled pricing to move sideways over the next 30 days.

Hot Rolled Lead Times: 2-6 weeks.

Cold Rolled Coil: SMU 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 by $10 per ton compared to last week while the upper end remained the same. Our average is now $5 per ton lower compared to last week. SMU anticipates cold rolled prices will move sideways over the next 30 days.

Cold Rolled Lead Times: 4-8 weeks.

Galvanized Coil: SMU Base 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. Both the lower and upper ends of our range decreased by $10 per ton compared to last week’s prices. Our average is now $10 per ton lower compared to last week. SMU anticipates galvanized base prices will trend sideways over the next 30 days.

Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU Range is $820-$860 per ton with an average of $840 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvanized Lead Times: 4-8 weeks.

Galvalume Coil: SMU Base Price Range is $760-$810 per ton ($38.00/cwt- $40.50/cwt) with an average of $785 per ton ($39.25/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range decreased by $10 per ton compared to last week’s prices. Our average is now $10 per ton lower compared to last week. The expectation is for Galvalume prices to move sideways over the next 30 days.

Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU Range is $1051-$1101 per ton with an average of $1076 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvalume Lead Times: 4-8 weeks.

Below is an interactive graph of the hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized and Galvalume historical prices. In order to review the graph you need to be logged into the website.

{amchart id=”110″ Weekly Pricing Article Graph- Use for NEWSLETTER}

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a senior analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.

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