SMU Survey: Most mills still willing to talk price

The majority of steel buyers we surveyed this week continue to report mills are willing to negotiate prices on new spot orders, though not as much as they were in early-January.

Every other week, SMU polls hundreds of service center and manufacturer buyers asking if domestic mills are open to negotiation on new spot order prices. This week, seven out of every 10 buyers reported that mills would talk price to secure a new order (Figure 1). This rate is lower compared to the 80%+ rates we had seen for the previous three months, now similar to those seen in September 2024.

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.