Steel Products Prices North America

Comparison Price Indices: Mixed Results

Written by John Packard

January 28, 2018

Flat rolled steel prices and those of plate fluctuated in both directions this past week depending on the steel index viewed.

Benchmark hot rolled prices were up across all three of the indexes followed by Steel Market Update. SMU was the highest at $705 per ton ($35.25/cwt) with Platts ($700) and SteelBenchmarker ($668) following close behind.

Cold rolled prices seesawed as SMU had prices down $5 per ton to $840 per ton ($42.00/cwt), while Platts had prices down earlier in the week, but popping back up on Friday to $860 per ton. SteelBenchmarker had prices up $4 from where they were two weeks back, and they are now the lowest CRC index at $826 per ton.

SMU had .060” G90 galvanized up $5 per ton to $926 per ton and Galvalume was $20 per ton higher on .0142” AZ50 Grade 80 now averaging $1,151 per ton.

Plate prices were up on SMU’s index, now averaging $795 per ton delivered. Platts, which recently switched their index to delivered Midwest, took their average down $5 per ton to $777 per ton. SteelBenchmarker was up $30 per ton to $762 per ton FOB Mill.

SMU Note: Galvanized prices include $86 in extras for a .060″ G90 product. Galvalume prices include $291 in extras for a .0142” AZ50 Grade 80 product.

FOB points for each index:

SMU: Domestic Mill, East of the Rockies.
SteelBenchmarker: Domestic Mill, East of the Mississippi.
Platts: Northern Indiana Domestic Mill.

Plate price FOB points are different for each of the indexes:

SMU: FOB Delivered to the Customer (includes freight)
Platts: FOB Midwest Mill (includes freight)

Note that SteelBenchmarker produces numbers twice per month. On the weeks they produce numbers, we will include them in the average. The weeks where they do not produce numbers (NA = not available), we will not include their outdated numbers in the CPI average.

John Packard

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