SMU Survey: Mill lead times stretch further, plate reaches record high

Steel mill lead times continued to expand for sheet and plate products this week, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.

Production times have been unusually long for most of the year, and are now reaching multi-year highs as we move into the final quarter of 2026. You will see a theme in our latest lead time analysis: Nearly every product we measure is at a multi-year high—all dating back to 2021.

David Schollaert

David Schollaert is deputy editor-in-chief for Steel Market Update. David joined SMU after more than a decade in the metals and mining industry in a myriad of different roles. Much of his early experience and expertise were within the coverage and analysis of steel-making raw materials and served previously as senior editor of the CRU Prices Service. Most recently, however, before his return to market analysis, David held roles as a metals buyer and an operations manager for raw material suppliers. He can be contacted at david@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-720-1008.