Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Mixed Results
Written by Brett Linton
November 28, 2018
We did not collect as many low price data points on hot rolled this week as we did last. We did see erosion at the upper end of the range as most offers appear to be trending below $800 per ton. Steel buyers continue to worry about the basic laws of supply and demand. There appears to be plenty of supply which is able to satisfy demand. The one exception continues to be plate, which has extended lead times and firmer pricing.
Here is how we see prices this week:
Hot Rolled Coil: SMU 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. The lower end of our range rose $30 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is up $10 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on hot rolled steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Hot Rolled Lead Times: 3-6 weeks
Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $870-$900 per ton ($43.50/cwt-$45.00/cwt) with an average of $885 per ton ($44.25/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range increased $20 compared to last week, while the upper end declined $20 per ton. Our overall average remained unchanged compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Cold Rolled Lead Times: 4-7 weeks
Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $42.50/cwt-$45.50/cwt ($850-$910 per ton) with an average of $44.00/cwt ($880 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range remained the same compared to one week ago, while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $5 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $928-$988 per net ton with an average of $958 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized Lead Times: 4-7 weeks
Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $43.50/cwt-$46.00/cwt ($870-$920 per ton) with an average of $44.75/cwt ($895 per ton) 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 also unchanged over one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume steel is Lower meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 to 60 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,161-$1,211 per net ton with an average of $1,186 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume Lead Times: 6-8 weeks
Plate: SMU price range is $980-$1,040 per ton ($49.00/cwt-$52.00/cwt) with an average of $1,010 per ton ($50.50/cwt) FOB delivered to the customer’s facility. Both the lower and upper ends of our range remained the same compared to one week ago. Our overall average is also unchanged compared to last week. Our price momentum on plate steel is Neutral meaning we expect stable prices over the next 30 days. The domestic plate mills continue to be on controlled order entry as their order books are strong with limited spot plate tonnage available.
Plate Lead Times: 5-9 weeks, allocation/controlled order entry
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.
Brett Linton
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