SMU Survey: Buyers have little negotiation room, mills hold firm on prices

One third of the steel buyers responding to our market survey this week reported domestic mills are negotiable on new spot order pricing. Mills began to hold a firmer stance on prices towards the end of last year, tightening their grip in early January, and holding it since.

Every other week, SMU polls over a thousand service center and manufacturer buyers asking if domestic mills are negotiable on new spot order prices. This week, 33% of respondents said mills were willing to talk price to secure an order (Figure 1). This is almost identical to our mid-January survey and five points higher than the nine-month low seen in early January.

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.