SMU Survey: Mills hold firm on prices, most buyers say

Domestic mills continue to hold a firm grip on sheet and plate prices, according to the majority of steel buyers responding to our market survey this week. Mills became less willing to negotiate on spot order prices in November and tightened their grip at the start of this year.

Every two weeks, SMU polls over 1,000 service center and manufacturer buyers to see whether mills are willing to negotiate pricing on new spot orders. Just over a quarter of this week’s respondents (27%) said mills were willing to talk price to secure an order (Figure 1). This is four points higher than our previous survey, which was the lowest rate recorded in nearly a year.

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.