SMU Data and Models
Steel Survey Reports Mixed Results Regarding Mill Negotiations
Written by John Packard
July 9, 2015
Steel Market Update (SMU) continues to collect data from manufacturing and distributors suggesting that the domestic steel mills are willing to negotiate flat rolled steel pricing for new spot orders.
The weakest product is hot rolled steel where 76 percent of our respondents reported the mills as willing to negotiate steel prices. Prior to this latest survey and going back to the month of May we were seeing the percentages as being slightly lower (see graphic below).
Cold rolled is another product that continues to be weaker than we would have anticipated, especially after three price announcements (well, two and USS third). Sixty-eight percent of our respondents reported CR prices as being negotiable.
Galvanized and Galvalume are two products that saw some strengthening of the mill’s hand when it came to negotiating prices. Of those responding to our galvanized query 58 percent reported the mills as willing to negotiate. This is down from 68 percent back in mid-June.
Galvalume dropped to the lowest percentage of all the flat rolled products hitting 50 percent. Half of those responding to our AZ inquiry reported the mills as willing to negotiate. This is down 10 percent from what we reported both at the beginning and during the middle of the month of June.
To see an interactive history of our Steel Mill Negotiations data, visit our website here.
John Packard
Read more from John PackardLatest in SMU Data and Models
May service center shipments and inventories report
Flat rolled = 57.1 shipping days of supply Plate = 55.7 shipping days of supply Flat rolled US service centers reined in flat roll supply in May, coinciding with declining shipments. At the end of May, service centers carried 57.1 shipping days of supply, according to adjusted SMU data. That’s down slightly from 57.6 shipping […]
Survey says: Market hit with another blast of tariff whiplash
If you’re feeling a sudden jerk and a case of tariff whiplash coming on, you’re not alone.
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: Steel Buyers’ Sentiment sinks to near pandemic levels
SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices moved in opposing directions this week. Our Current Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Index sharply fell to one of the lowest levels recorded in five years, while Future Buyers’ Sentiment marginally improved.
SMU Survey: Mill lead times tick higher after late-May lows
All five of the averages for sheet and plate mill lead times tracked by SMU extended moderately this week, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.