Mill Lead Times/Negotiations: More of the Same

Except for a notable decline in the average Galvalume lead time, delivery times for spot orders of flat rolled and plate from the mills registered only small ups and downs in the data from Steel Market Update’s survey this week. Generally speaking, lead times remain two to three times longer than the historical averages and make it especially challenging for service centers to maintain their inventories. Depending on the product and mill, steel ordered today may not arrive until August or even later.

According to SMU’s check of the market this week, lead times for spot orders of Galvalume now average 14.43 weeks, down from 15.40 two weeks ago. Lead times for hot rolled now average 10.36 weeks, down slightly from 10.81 weeks in the last survey. Cold rolled lead times are unchanged at 12.24 weeks. At 13.00 weeks, lead times for galvanized products rose slightly from 12.71 weeks in mid-May. Plate lead times currently average 9.43 weeks, up from 9.10 in SMU’s last check of the market.