Steel Mill Lead Times: Hot Rolled Extends to Eight Weeks

Cold rolled lead times are at 9.44 weeks, up from 8.77 two weeks ago. Like hot rolled, cold rolled lead times are more than a month longer than in late April.

Galvanized lead times now average 9.81 weeks, up from 9.21 two weeks ago—about four and a half weeks longer than the low point this spring. Similarly, the current average Galvalume lead time is out to 10.80 weeks.

Demand for plate products has clearly improved as the mills are collecting at least some of their recent price increases. Plate lead times have seen the most change, extending to 8.13 weeks from 7.00 weeks earlier in December. Plate lead times bottomed at 3.20 weeks back in May.

Viewed as three-month moving averages to smooth out the volatility, hot rolled lead times have continued to extend to 6.95 weeks, cold rolled 8.60 weeks, galvanized 9.04 weeks, Galvalume 9.62 weeks and plate 6.32 weeks.

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.