Steel Mill Lead Times: Notably Shorter

Mill lead times for flat rolled and plate products have gradually been shortening over the past two months. Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week shows the average lead time for hot rolled down to nearly eight weeks from more than ten weeks in early August. Lead times for cold rolled and galvanized have come in by more than a week and now average less than eleven weeks, while plate is down to eight weeks.

Buyers polled by SMU this week reported mill lead times ranging from 5-10 weeks for hot rolled, 7-14 weeks for cold rolled, 8-14 weeks for galvanized, 10-14 weeks for Galvalume, and 6-10 weeks for plate.