Steel Mill Lead Times: Inching Up

Hot rolled lead times now average 3.66 weeks, up from 3.38 weeks in mid-January. Current lead times for hot rolled are still well below the 5.07 weeks at this time last year and about two weeks shorter than the past year’s peak of 5.73 weeks.

Cold rolled orders currently have a lead time of 5.78 weeks, up from 5.33 weeks around Jan. 15. Cold rolled lead times were at a more typical 6.93 weeks at this time last year.

Similarly, over the past two weeks, lead times for galvanized steel inched up to 6.26 weeks from 5.88 weeks in mid-January. Galvalume lead times rose to 5.83 from 5.71 weeks during the same period.

Lead times for spot orders of plate steel now average 6.00 weeks, up from 5.93 weeks in SMU’s last poll. Plate lead times have normalized considerably from the nearly eight weeks customers had to wait for delivery for much of last year.

Note: These lead times are based on the average from manufacturers and steel service centers who participated in this week’s SMU market trends analysis. Our lead times do not predict what any individual may get from any specific mill supplier. Look to your mill rep for actual lead times. Our lead times are meant only to identify trends and changes in the marketplace. To see an interactive history of our Steel Mill Lead Times data, visit our website here.