Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Price Ranges & Indices: Some Weakening Seen
Written by Brett Linton
April 9, 2019
We saw weakness in a number of the products we index this week. We are not seeing a collapse of the market, and as we discuss in another article in tonight’s issue, there are regional and product differences. The various products are not working in concert right now. We moved our Price Momentum Indicators on hot rolled (lower), cold rolled and coated (neutral) and plate (lower) today.
Here is how we see prices this week:
Hot Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $650-$700 per ton ($32.50/cwt-$35.00/cwt) with an average of $675 per ton ($33.75/cwt) 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 $20 per ton. Our overall average is down $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 days.
Hot Rolled Lead Times: 2-6 weeks
Cold Rolled Coil: SMU price range is $800-$840 per ton ($40.00/cwt-$42.00/cwt) with an average of $820 per ton ($41.00/cwt) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. Both the lower and upper end of our ranges, as well as our average are unchanged compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on cold rolled steel is now at Neutral, meaning we expect prices to remain steady over the next 30 days.
Cold Rolled Lead Times: 5-8 weeks
Galvanized Coil: SMU base price range is $40.00/cwt-$43.00/cwt ($800-$860 per ton) with an average of $41.50/cwt ($830 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range dropped $20 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $15 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on galvanized steel is now at Neutral, meaning we expect prices to remain steady over the next 30 days.
Galvanized .060” G90 Benchmark: SMU price range is $878-$938 per net ton with an average of $908 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvanized Lead Times: 5-8 weeks
Galvalume Coil: SMU base price range is $41.00/cwt-$43.00/cwt ($820-$860 per ton) with an average of $42.00/cwt ($840 per ton) FOB mill, east of the Rockies. The lower end of our range is unchanged compared to last week, while the upper end declined $10 per ton. Our overall average is down $5 per ton compared to one week ago. Our price momentum on Galvalume is now at Neutral, meaning we expect prices to remain steady over the next 30 days.
Galvalume .0142” AZ50, Grade 80 Benchmark: SMU price range is $1,111-$1,151 per net ton with an average of $1,131 per ton FOB mill, east of the Rockies.
Galvalume Lead Times: 5-7 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 to the customer’s facility. The lower end of our range fell by $30 per ton compared to one week ago, while the upper end remained unchanged. Our overall average is down $15 per ton compared to last week. Our price momentum on plate steel is Lower, meaning we expect prices to decline over the next 30 days.
Plate Lead Times: 5-7 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.
Brett Linton
Read more from Brett LintonLatest in Steel Products Prices North America
SMU Community Chat: Timna Tanners on ‘Trumplications’ for steel in 2025
Wolfe Research's Managing Director Timna Tanners discusses the 'Trumplications' for steel in the coming year in this week's SMU Community Chat.
Nucor raises hot rolled spot price to $750/ton
Nucor raised its weekly consumer spot price (CSP) for HRC this week to $750/short ton.
SMU price ranges: Most sheet and plate products drift lower
Steel sheet prices mostly edged lower for a second week, while plate prices slipped for the third consecutive week.
Nucor drops HRC price to $720/ton
After holding its weekly spot price for hot-rolled (HR) coil steady for three weeks at $730 per short ton (st), Nucor lowered the price this week by $10/st.
SMU price ranges: Sheet slips, plate falls to 45-month low
Steel sheet and plate prices moved lower this week as efforts among some mills to hold the line on tags ran up against continued concerns about demand.