SMU Data and Models
February 17, 2022
Steel Mill Lead Times and Negotiations: Waiting for an Inflection Point
Written by Tim Triplett
Steel mill lead times, which have shortened to near historical averages, are about as low as they will go and now register only minor movements up or down from week to week, based on Steel Market Update’s surveys of the market. Likewise, SMU’s data on negotiations between mills and buyers has reached a similar steady state.
Buyers polled by SMU over the past three days reported mill lead times ranging from 3-5 weeks for hot rolled, 5-8 weeks for cold rolled, 4-8 weeks for galvanized, 6-9 weeks for Galvalume, and 4-5 weeks for plate.
