Steel Mill Lead Times: Shortest of the Year

Lead times for most flat rolled steel products are at or near their shortest of the year. Lead times for steel delivery are a measure of demand at the mill level—the shorter the lead time, the less busy the mill. The less busy the mill, the more likely they are to negotiate on price. Responses to SMU’s latest flat rolled and plate market trends questionnaire show that lead times for hot rolled now average four weeks, cold rolled less than six weeks, galvanized about six weeks, Galvalume about six and a half weeks, and plate about seven and a half weeks.

Demand continues to exceed supply in the plate segment, as mills still have customers on allocation. The current average lead time for spot orders of plate is 7.44 weeks, up from 7.00 weeks early in November.