• Skip to main content

    Analysis

    October 28, 2026

    Fall maintenance winding down, but key outages remain

    Written by David Schollaert

    The busy fall maintenance season isn’t over yet. Mill outages have rolled along since September, squeezing an already tight sheet market heading into November and beyond.

    Another round of scheduled maintenance is approaching, with outages still ahead at North Star BlueScope, ArcelorMittal Calvert, and Nucor Berkeley.

    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.

    Read more from David Schollaert

    Latest in Analysis

    SMU flat-rolled market survey results now available

    The results of the latest Steel Market Update (SMU) flat-rolled market survey are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in, look under the Data tab for Market Reports, and there you will find the Flat-Rolled Survey Results section. Previous survey results are also available on that page. If you need help accessing these results, or if your company would like to have your voice heard in our future surveys, contact smu@crugroup.com.

    Mill lead times climb to new highs, buyers expect little relief

    Lead times for sheet and plate products continued to lengthen amid historically tight supply, according to the latest SMU steel market survey data. Average lead times now extend into January 2027, with some mills quoting availability well into February. Lead times for all sheet products except Galvalume stand at their highest point since the post-Covid demand snapback in 2021. Plate lead times exceed their 2021 peak, setting a record in our data series, which dates to 2018. (We started collecting sheet lead times earlier, in 2011.)

    Ryerson Q3 profit and sales rise as shipments beat guidance

    Ryerson Holding’s third-quarter sales and net income rose as shipments outperformed the company’s seasonal expectations. Management pointed to demand from data centers and power generation projects, gains in transactional business, and improving contract volumes, while describing demand across end markets as uneven. Chicago-based Ryerson’s latest earnings report released on Thursday shows third-quarter sales rose 8.6% sequentially to $2.18 billion. Shipments rose 1.2% despite the company's guidance for a seasonal decline. Net income attributable to Ryerson was $32 million, compared with $15.5 million in the second quarter. Compared with last year, sales were 87.5% higher and net income rose 316.2%.

    SunCoke raises 2026 EBITDA outlook after third-quarter gain

    SunCoke Energy’s third-quarter revenue edged down to $485.9 million. Lower blast coke sales volumes and lower coal-price pass-throughs on long-term, take-or-pay agreements weighed on revenue. Higher terminals handling volumes and one additional month of Phoenix Global results partly offset the declines. Net income attributable to SunCoke was $21.8 million, compared with $22.2 million a year earlier. The Lisle, Ill.-based company expects 2026 consolidated adjusted EBITDA to modestly exceed the top of its $250 million to $265 million guidance range. Third-quarter consolidated adjusted EBITDA rose $17.8 million year over year (y/y) to $76.9 million.