US hot-rolled coil averaged about $1,280 per short ton for the week, up $10 per short ton from last week and $40 from a month ago, according to Steel Market Update’s October 15, 2026 report. The CME futures curve sits a little above spot for the rest of 2026 and well below it for 2027. Here is what that means for coil buyers and for the standing seam quotes you are writing this week.
Hot-rolled coil this week
Steel Market Update put the US HRC average at $1,280 per short ton for the week of October 15, up $10 week over week and $40 month over month. SteelBenchmarker’s separate assessment of US HRC was $1,310 per metric tonne, or $1,188 per net ton, FOB mill, on October 14. The two figures measure the market on different bases and on different days, so the gap between them is normal. What matters is the direction, and SMU’s figure describes a market that has firmed over the past month.
The futures curve
CME hot-rolled coil futures priced the fourth quarter of 2026 at about $1,295 per short ton at the October 12 close, with the 2027 forward curve at about $1,207 per short ton, per Steel Market Update. Our read: the market is paying a small premium for the next few months and pricing a softer 2027. A futures curve is not a forecast. It is where buyers and sellers are willing to trade today, and it can be wrong by spring. Use it as a sanity check against anyone who tells you steel can only move one way.
What it means for coil buyers
Painted Galvalume and galvanized coil do not trade on an exchange. Their price follows HRC with a lag, plus a premium for the metallic coating, the paint system and mill extras that typically runs several hundred dollars a ton and moves with zinc and aluminum. We have no official October benchmark for coated coil and will not invent one. The practical advice: price coil with your supplier the day you quote, buy for the jobs you have sold, and ask what price-hold period your service center will put in writing.
What it means for quoting jobs
A $10 move in HRC does not change an installed standing seam price in any meaningful way, but a quote that sits unsigned for 60 days in a market moving $40 a month can. State the validity period in the body of every proposal, lock the price when the deposit clears and the coil is ordered, and have an attorney review any escalation language you use on residential work. Our post on pricing a standing seam job in a volatile steel market walks through the clauses and the customer conversation.
Aluminum, copper and zinc
We do not have verified October 2026 figures for aluminum, copper or zinc and are leaving those fields blank rather than guessing. For the day’s number, aluminum, copper and zinc trade on the London Metal Exchange, and copper and aluminum also trade on COMEX in the United States. We will add those metals to this report as we build the series and can cite a source for each one.
About these numbers
Hot-rolled coil average and futures: Steel Market Update, October 15, 2026, at steelmarketupdate.com. SteelBenchmarker US HRC: October 14, 2026, at steelbenchmarker.com.
This report is published for metal roofers, fabricators and panel shops as background on their material costs. It is not investment advice, not a recommendation to buy or sell any commodity, futures contract or security, and not a price quote. The prices shown are published market averages or assessments, not the price any supplier will charge you. Check with your own supplier before you quote or buy.
| Metal | Price | vs last update |
|---|---|---|
| Hot-rolled coil (US Midwest) $/short ton | $1,280 | first reading |
| Galvalume coil $/short ton | — | no sourced figure |
| Aluminum (LME cash) $/lb | — | no sourced figure |
| Copper (COMEX) $/lb | — | no sourced figure |
| Zinc (LME) $/lb | — | no sourced figure |
Prices as of October 15, 2026. Sources: Steel Market Update, SteelBenchmarker. For information only, not investment or purchasing advice.