SMU survey: Most sheet buyers find mills more flexible on price, plate less

Steel buyers of hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized products found mills more willing to negotiate spot pricing this week, according to our most recent survey data. However, buyers of plate products said mills were less willing to talk price.

For buyers of HRC, 92% of respondents said mills were more flexible on price, up four percentage points from two weeks earlier. Meanwhile, plate’s rate ticked down three percentage points to 78%, in the same comparison.

Ethan Bernard

Ethan Bernard is managing editor for Steel Market Update. He previously worked for American Metal Market as a copy editor in the New York office for two years, starting in 2008. Later, he copy edited AMM’s monthly magazine on a freelance basis from 2015 until 2017. With experience in financial copywriting and textbook publishing, he holds a BA in Comparative Literature from UC Berkeley, and an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. He can be reached at ethan@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7871.