Market Data
January 8, 2026
Written by Brett Linton
Following the brief pause seen in mid-December, steel mill lead times for both sheet and plate products have resumed their upward trend this week, according to responses from SMU’s latest market survey.
Lead times today are over a week longer than levels seen three months ago and nearly two weeks longer than the multi-year lows witnessed in mid-2025.
Domestic raw steel output fell to a six-month low last week after hitting a multi-year high one week earlier, according to the latest American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures.
Drilling activity increased in the US this week but declined in Canada, according to active oil and gas rig count figures recently released from Baker Hughes. The US rig count rose by four to 595 rigs this week, now at the highest level recorded in over two years. Canadian counts eased to a 10-week low of 197 this week, down 10 rigs from the prior week.
The results of the latest SMU flat-rolled market survey are now available on our website to all premium members.
Steel mill lead times extended for sheet and plate products this week, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey. Production times have been historically long for most of the summer.
US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply declined in August, making the marginal gain the month prior an outlier year-to-date. Shipping days of supply slipped to 44.2 in August, according to SMU data.