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    Analysis

    April 30, 2026

    SMU Survey: Mills hold grip on prices, buyers say

    Written by Brett Linton

    The majority of sheet and plate buyers responding to our latest market survey continue to say that mills are not willing to negotiate new-order spot prices. Price flexibility faded in late 2025, and mills have held a firm grip since. This week, we saw low negotiation rates across all products, though coated products are the most negotiable and plate products are the least.

    Every other week, SMU polls over 1,000 service center and manufacturer buyers to see whether mills are willing to negotiate on new spot-order pricing. This week, 22% of respondents said mills were willing to talk price to secure an order (Figure 1). This is down one point from our previous survey and just three points higher than our early April reading, which was the lowest negotiability rate recorded in over 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.

    Read more from Brett Linton

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