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    Market Segment

    June 22, 2023

    Lead Times Contract to Shortest Levels Seen in Months

    Written by Laura Miller

    In SMU’s market check this week, lead times for sheet and plate pulled back to some of the shortest times seen in several months. To see lead times this short, we have to go back to March for plate, January for galvanized sheet, and December for hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and Galvalume sheet.

    With mills pushing for a price increase on the sheet side, it remains to be seen whether the contraction in lead times will continue. If buyers come off the sidelines and the increases stick, SMU expects lead times to move out. If buyers remain on the sidelines, however, lead times should remain flat or shrink even further. Stay tuned to SMU for our next market check two weeks from now.

    Laura Miller

    Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held various editorial positions with steel industry publications, associations, and mills since 2007. She joined the SMU team in 2022. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.

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