SMU survey: Mills remain open to negotiate prices, most buyers say

The majority of steel buyers continue to report that mills are willing to talk price on new orders, according to our latest market survey. Negotiation rates have consistently been in the 70-80% range for over two months, relatively strong in comparison to levels seen across the past year

SMU polls hundreds of steel market executives every other week asking if domestic mills are willing to negotiate lower spot pricing on new orders. As shown in Figure 1, 78% of all buyers we surveyed this week reported that mills were flexible on price. This is now the highest negotiation rate recorded since late July, having ticked higher each of the last four weeks.

Brett Linton

Brett Linton is a digital operations analyst for Steel Market Update, where he began his career. Linton has been in the steel industry since 2010. He has held roles as a category manager and strategic insights director at Reibus before returning to SMU in 2024. He is a graduate of The University of North Georgia with a degree in Finance and Accounting. Brett can be reached at brett@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-314-0179.