Steel Products Prices North America

SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Prices Hit a Lull

April 10, 2018

Flat rolled steel prices appear to have hit a lull as prices have remained relatively range-bound compared to last week. Steel Market Update spent the past two days canvassing steel buyers at manufacturing companies, distributors, wholesalers and steel mills. We report on what steel buyers had to say to us in a separate article in tonight’s issue.

Here is how we see prices this week:

Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $840-$900 per ton ($42.00/cwt-$45.00/cwt) with an average of $870 per ton ($43.50/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper ends of our range remained the same compared to one week ago. Our overall average is unchanged compared to last week. Our price momentum on hot rolled steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Hot Rolled Lead Times: 4-8 weeks

Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $990-$1,020 per ton ($49.50/cwt-$51.00/cwt) with an average of $1,005 per ton ($50.25/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range rose $20 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is up $5 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Cold Rolled Lead Times: 5-10 weeks

Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $49.50/cwt-$52.00/cwt ($990-$1,040 per ton) with an average of $50.75/cwt ($1,015 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range rose $10 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end declined $20 per ton. Our overall average is down $5 compared to last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,076-$1,126 per net ton with an average of $1,101 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvanized Lead Times: 5-10 weeks

Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $50.00/cwt-$53.00/cwt ($1,000-$1,060 per ton) with an average of $51.50/cwt ($1,030 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range rose $20 per ton compared to last week, while the upper end remained the same. Our overall average is up $10 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,291-$1,351 per net ton with an average of $1,321 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.

Galvalume Lead Times: 7-10 weeks

Plate: SMU price range is $940-$1,000 per ton ($47.00/cwt-$50.00/cwt) with an average of $970 per ton ($48.50/cwt) FOB delivered. The lower end of our range increased $20 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is up $5 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on plate steel is now pointing to Higher indicating prices are expected to increase over the next 30-60 days.

Plate Lead Times: “Allocation” 6-11 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. Note that plate prices are not yet available on our website, but we are in the process of adding that dataset. If you need help navigating the website or need to know your login information, contact us at info@SteelMarketUpdate.com or 800-432-3475.