SMU Data and Models
November 10, 2016
Steel Mill Lead Times Jump Out One Week
Written by John Packard
The amount of time it takes a steel mill to produce a product once a new order is placed is measured in weeks. Twice per month Steel Market Update (SMU) conducts a market trends analysis on the flat rolled steel industry. We invite just under 600 steel executives representing about 550 companies to participate in our twice monthly steel survey. Those responding to this weeks questionnaire report lead time averages are surging on virtually all flat rolled steel products.
The SMU lead times referenced in this article should not be confused with the lead time sheets and quotes that come directly out of the individual steel mills. Our respondents are providing SMU with an industry average which we can then compare against historical data to see what the trend is and if it differs from last month or last year at this time.
