Quarterly trends for cold rolled steel prices and transportation costs
At American Material Handling (AMH), steel and freight costs directly affect our pricing, quoting strategies, and procurement decisions. Monitoring these trends enables us to optimize project timelines, anticipate customer cost impacts, and better align purchasing strategies with market conditions.
Steel prices are a critical driver of pallet rack, mezzanine, and structural component costs. Meanwhile, freight volatility impacts our delivered costs, from domestic shipments via flatbed or dry van to overseas imports through ocean transport.
$42.04
$44.04 | 4.5%
Last Mo
$33.67 | 25%
Last Yr
| Mode | Rate | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Van | $2.06 | -0.5% |
| Flatbed | $2.51 | -1% |
| Ocean | $2.4k | -6.8% |
Recent data suggest that steel prices dipped by about 4.5% from July to August 2025 but remain roughly 25% higher than last year, while truckload spot rates eased modestly and container rates fell sharply. This combination signals a tactical window to lower landed costs by aligning purchases and shipping with softer freight markets. Our operations and finance teams will continue using this dashboard to fine‑tune pricing models, adjust lead times with suppliers, and set customer expectations based on real‑time freight and steel trends.
