• Skip to main content

    Distributors/Service Centers

    Plate sources worry over near-term supply issues, price direction

    Written by Kristen DiLandro


    Plate market participants wonder how plate supply will hold up in coming weeks and months, sources told SMU.  

    Some sources called out dwindling availability of heavier grades and said certain domestic producers have “a huge backlog” of all grades. Asked about the divergent spot price strategies between SSAB Americas and OSM vs. Nucor Plate Group, two aiming to up spot prices while Nucor kept its prices flat, elicited strong opinions from the market.  

    Kristen DiLandro

    Read more from Kristen DiLandro

    Latest in Distributors/Service Centers

    Galvanized buyers report severe supply strain

    Service centers and manufacturers on the Sept. 15 HARDI Sheet Metal and Air Handling Council call described a tight, seller-driven market. Lead times are long, deliveries are late, inventories are thin, imports are down, and demand is strong, causing a shortage of galvanized material. SMU regularly joins the council’s meetings to discuss the galvanized sheet market. Participants — members of Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) — are wholesalers, service centers, distributors, and manufacturers who buy or sell galvanized steel.