SMU Data and Models
January 20, 2022
Steel Mill Lead Times: Getting Back to "Normal"
Written by Tim Triplett
Steel mill lead times – a leading indicator of prices – continue to trend downward and are approaching what used to be considered “normal.” If lead times are nearing a point at which they may soon level off, what might that say about steel prices?
Steel Market Update’s check of the market this week puts the average lead time for hot rolled below four weeks for the first time since August 2020. Likewise, lead times for cold rolled and galvanized have shortened to about six and a half weeks over the past year and a half. Buyers polled by SMU over the past three days reported mill lead times ranging from 2-6 weeks for hot rolled, 5-8 weeks for cold rolled, 4-10 weeks for galvanized, 6-10 weeks for Galvalume, and 3-8 weeks for plate.
