Where to find live Plate prices
Primary sources onlyTSM does not display real-time Plate quotes on this page — instead, we link directly to the regulated exchanges and benchmark price-reporting agencies (PRAs) that produce the actual numbers. One True Source for All: where the data originates, that is where you should read it.
- NoteNo regulated futures contract for plate on any major exchange
- Benchmark administrator (PRA)Platts — plate assessments (FOB China, NWE, US Midwest) ↗
- Benchmark administrator (PRA)Argus Metals — plate regional indices ↗
- Benchmark administrator (PRA)Fastmarkets — plate & shipbuilding-grade prices ↗
- Closest cleared proxyLME HRC contracts — closest cleared proxy (HRC-vs-plate spread) ↗
Exchange access is free for delayed prices on most LME/SHFE/CME pages; live tick-by-tick data and PRA assessments are paid subscriptions sold by the exchange or by Fastmarkets / Argus / S&P Global Platts directly. See TSM Sources methodology for the full source tiering.
About Steel Plate
Editorial · sourcedWhat is steel plate?
Steel plate is hot-rolled flat steel of thickness greater than ~5 mm (or sometimes 4.75 mm per ASTM definitions). Below this thickness the product is classified as sheet or strip (sold as HRC). Plate is rolled on dedicated heavy-plate mills (typically 4-high reversing mills, sometimes 4-high tandem) and supplied either as quench-and-tempered plate (Q&T), as-rolled, normalised, or thermomechanically controlled-process (TMCP). Typical product sizes range from 6 mm to over 200 mm thick and 1-5 metres wide.
How plate is priced
Steel plate has no regulated futures contract on any major exchange. Pricing is by benchmark assessment from Fastmarkets, Argus Media and S&P Global Platts — typically as regional assessments: plate FOB China (Argus), plate Northern Europe (Platts), plate US Midwest (Platts), shipbuilding-grade plate Korea / Japan (Fastmarkets). The HRC-vs-plate differential (“plate premium”) is a closely watched margin indicator. Long-term contracts dominate shipbuilding, oil-and-gas line-pipe and pressure-vessel grades.
Where plate is produced
Heavy-plate capacity is concentrated where there is shipbuilding, line-pipe or heavy-equipment demand. China, South Korea and Japan together produce the bulk of world ship-grade plate (Korea and Japan are the two largest shipbuilders globally; China is now #1 by gross tonnage). Russia, Ukraine are large suppliers of structural and line-pipe plate. The United States has a small heavy-plate sector serving naval shipbuilding (Newport News) and energy infrastructure (Cleveland-Cliffs, SSAB Americas, Nucor). India is the fastest-growing heavy-plate producer. Per USGS MCS 2026 Iron-Steel, no separate plate-only country tonnage statistic is published.
Who produces plate
Major heavy-plate producers globally:
- POSCO (Pohang, Gwangyang — ship-grade plate leader).
- Nippon Steel, JFE Steel, Kobe Steel (Japan).
- China Baowu, Ansteel, HBIS, Shougang (China).
- ArcelorMittal (Europe, US plate via ArcelorMittal Coatesville and Burns Harbor plate mills).
- SSAB (Sweden, Finland, US — producer of Hardox abrasion-resistant and Strenx high-strength plate brands).
- thyssenkrupp Steel, Dillinger Group (Germany), ArcelorMittal Industeel.
- Cleveland-Cliffs, Nucor (Brandenburg KY plate mill), Steel Dynamics (US Sinton TX mill).
What plate is used for
Heavy plate end-uses are essentially the largest steel structures in the economy:
- Shipbuilding — ship-grade plates A/B/D/E per IACS standards (mild and high-strength hulls).
- Energy infrastructure — line-pipe plate (rolled into UOE and ERW pipe for oil & gas trunklines); pressure-vessel plate (ASME SA-516, SA-387 Cr-Mo grades).
- Wind power — offshore monopile and transition-piece plate (50-100 mm S355 / S420 structural).
- Yellow goods and heavy equipment — abrasion-resistant plate (Hardox 450/500, Quard), bucket and dump-truck body steels.
- Structural / construction — bridge plate, heavy-section fabrications.
- Defence — armoured plate (RHA, NATO STANAG-1, MIL-A-46100).
Key facts about plate supply
- Plate is covered under EU CBAM alongside other carbon and alloy steel categories since 1 January 2026.
- Offshore-wind demand has emerged as a key growth segment for monopile plate; lead times for thick plate (>80 mm) tightened materially across 2024-2026.
- Plate certifications matter — ship plates require classification-society approval (Lloyd's Register, DNV, ABS, ClassNK), pressure plates require ASME / EN 13445 approval, line pipe requires API 5L PSL2.
- Reserves: not applicable. See Iron Ore upstream.