SMU Data and Models

Steel Mill Lead Times: A Quick Review

February 11, 2016

Over the past few weeks Steel Market Update has been reviewing the lead times being published and/or provided to their customers in order to see if there are any significant changes.

As a general statement we have found cold rolled and coated steels (galvanized, Galvalume, galvannealed) have extended lead times and are the tightest of products. Hot rolled lead times continue to remain relatively short in comparison.

The lead times we are sharing with our readers were compiled earlier this week so you will need to communicate with your mill representative in order to get the most up to date promise dates on whatever steels you are trying to procure. Actual production lead times can vary by mill and by product due to a wide range of factors (including new order flow).

We are going to broach the subject of lead times a little differently this week. It has been our experience that the weakest mills many times are the conversion mills. So, we want to look at the east of the Rockies conversion mills first to see how they are doing.

NLMK USA:

Hot Rolled lead times for “spot” business are being quoted as the week of February 29th (3 weeks) out of both their Farrell and Portage facilities.

Cold Rolled: Inquiry only on spot with contract business being quoted the week of April 4th (8 weeks).

Galvanized: Inquiry only on spot with contract business being quoted the week of April 4th (8 weeks). Note: Sharon Coatings is only running the #3 galvanize line, #2 is idle and #1 is mothballed.

The Techs (owned by SDI):

MetalTech: hot rolled substrate galvanized is the week of March 27th (7 weeks). Cold rolled substrate was changed today from inquire only to the week of April 3rd (8 weeks).

GalvTech: Was changed today from inquire only to the week of April 10th (9 weeks).

NexTech: Was changed today from inquire only to the week of April 3rd (8 weeks).

CSN (Terre Haute, IN):

Galvanized lead times the week ending March 18th (5 weeks).

Ternium (Louisiana):

Galvanized/Galvalume lead times : As of Tuesday of this week mill was approximately 67% full for the month of March. Some sizes are moving into April due to availability of substrate.

Wheeling-Nisshin:

Galvanized/Galvalume is being reported to SMU as being the 4th week of March (6 weeks).

Mini-Mills (EAF production)

Steel Dynamics (Columbus, MS):

Hot Rolled has a promise date of the week ending March 5th (3 weeks).

Cold Rolled has a promise date of the week ending March 26th (6 weeks).

Galvanized has a promise date of the week ending March 12th on both hot rolled and cold rolled substrate GI (4 weeks).

Steel Dynamics (Butler, IN):

Hot Rolled has a promise date of the week of February 22nd (2 weeks).

Cold Rolled and Galvanized are both inquire only.

Nucor Berkeley:

Hot Rolled 54″ or less is the week ending March 19th (5 weeks) and over 54″ is one week longer (6 weeks).

Cold Rolled 54″ or narrower is the week ending April 30th (11 weeks) and wider than 54″ is all the way out to the week ending May 7th (12 weeks).

Galvanized (all products) are inquire only.

Integrated Mills (blast furnace/BOF production)

AK Steel:

Hot rolled and cold rolled lead times are inquire only. Galvanized lead times were published as being inquire on hot rolled substrate and the week of April 11th (9 weeks) for cold rolled substrate GI.