Steel Mill Lead Times: Slightly Shorter

Lead times for spot orders of flat rolled and plate steel products showed initial signs of shortening this week, according to returns from Steel Market Update’s market trends questionnaire. Lead times for steel delivery are a measure of demand at the mill level—the longer the lead time, the busier the mill. The current lead times are still at healthy levels, comparable to where they were at this time last year, but they are slightly shorter than they were at the beginning of March.

Hot rolled lead times now average 4.50 weeks, down from 4.64 two weeks ago. Cold rolled orders currently have a lead time of 6.28 weeks, down from 6.44 earlier in the month. The current lead time for galvanized steel is 6.84 weeks, down from 7.16, while Galvalume is at 6.82 weeks, down from 7.38.