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Metals Service Center Average Selling Price per Ton

measures reported sales value per ton of metal sold, reflecting commodity prices, product mix, processing, and customer mix.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 30, 2026
Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date
Sep 30, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context
10 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Metals Service Center Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples
2 reviewed companiesRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.
  1. Selling price per ton is a price-and-mix measure
  2. Higher selling prices do not guarantee wider margins
  3. Part of the Metals Service Center Economics
  4. See It in Company Research
  5. Continue Research

Metals service center average selling price per ton measures the reported sales value associated with each ton sold.

Reliance reported $2,602 per ton in the second quarter of 2026, up 14.5% year over year. Ryerson reported $2,495 per ton, up 6.9%.

Selling price per ton is a price-and-mix measure

Metals prices move with replacement costs, tariffs, supply conditions, and end-market demand. Product mix also matters because higher-value aluminum, stainless, alloy, and processed products can lift the average.

That means a higher selling price per ton does not automatically indicate stronger pricing power. Read it beside tons sold to separate physical demand from price and mix.

Higher selling prices do not guarantee wider margins

If inventory replacement costs rise as fast as or faster than selling prices, gross margin can compress even while revenue per ton increases.

Compare the selling-price trend with FIFO gross margin, which removes the period's LIFO inventory-accounting adjustment from the margin view.

Primary sources: Reliance Q2 2026 Form 10-Q and Ryerson Q2 2026 Form 10-Q.

Part of the Metals Service Center Economics

Connects physical tonnage, price per ton, acquisition-adjusted volume, inventory-accounting effects, operating-cost intensity, processing depth, customer recurrence, and assortment breadth in metals distribution.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →
Where this concept fits
  • Physical volume, price, and comparable demandCurrent relationship
    Tons sold measures physical throughput, average selling price per ton captures commodity and mix effects, and same-store tons sold growth separates comparable-network demand from acquired volume.
    Average Selling Price per TonCurrent conceptSame-Store Tons Sold GrowthTons Sold
  • Inventory accounting and gross-margin presentation
    LIFO gross margin includes the period's inventory valuation adjustment, FIFO or ex-LIFO gross margin removes that effect, and the LIFO adjustment explains the accounting bridge between the two presentations.
    FIFO Gross MarginLIFO Gross MarginLIFO Inventory Valuation Adjustment
  • Operating leverage and service depth
    SG&A expense per ton shows distribution-cost intensity, while value-added processing, repeat-order mix, and product breadth describe the service model that can support customer stickiness and margin resilience.
    Product CountRepeat Order MixSG&A Expense per TonValue-Added Processing Mix

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

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Compare metal pricing per ton

Compare selling price per ton while preserving commodity mix, processing mix, customer mix, and issuer tonnage definitions.

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