SMU Data and Models

Mill Lead Times Continue to Falter
Written by John Packard
January 22, 2015
Domestic flat rolled steel mill lead times continued to shrink based on the responses received in our most recent steel market survey.
Steel Market Update conducted our mid-January flat rolled steel market analysis this week. We invited over 600 companies to participate in the survey and, based on the average of the responses received, lead times fell on all four products tracked by SMU: hot rolled, cold rolled, galvanized and Galvalume.
Hot rolled lead times were reported to be averaging 2.81 weeks, down from the 3.19 reported two weeks ago and well below the 4.09 weeks at this time last year. The 2.81 weeks is actually the shortest lead time we have seen since mid-April 2013.
Cold rolled lead times were reported to be averaging 4.90 weeks, down from 5.15 weeks at the beginning of January and well below the 6.41`weeks we saw in mid-January 2014.
Galvanized lead times are averaging 5.21 weeks, down from 5.50 weeks reported at the beginning of January and well below the 5.98 weeks reported at this time last year.
Galvalume lead times were reported to be averaging 5.83 weeks which is slightly lower than the 6.18 weeks measured at the beginning of January and almost a full week shorter than one year ago when we reported mid-January lead times on AZ as averaging 6.70 weeks.

John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in SMU Data and Models

SMU Survey: Current Sentiment tumbles on tariffs, uncertainty, soft demand
SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices moved in opposing directions this week. Our Current Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Index dropped to one of the lowest levels recorded in over five years, while Future Buyers’ Sentiment inched higher.

SMU flat-rolled market survey results now available
SMU’s latest steel buyers market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the pricing and analysis tab and look under the “survey results” section for “latest survey results.” Past survey results are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the survey results, or if […]

SMU Survey: Buyers report little change in sheet and plate lead times
Steel buyers report steady lead times for sheet and plate products, a soft-sideways trend we've seen since May.

SMU Survey: Mills remain flexible on pricing, buyers say
The majority of steel buyers responding to our market survey this week continue to say that mills are negotiable on new spot order prices. Negotiation rates have remained high since May.

Service centers: Mill orders improve in July
SMU’s Mill Order Index (MOI) moved higher in July after rebounding the month prior. The shift comes after mill orders declined from March through May.