SMU surveys key data providers each month to gather the latest information on steel sheet and plate inventories.
Flat-Rolled Lead Times
Active steel buyers provide sheet and plate mill lead times. Members can track pricing trends and explore historical data.
Steel Buyers’ Sentiment
Track how steel buyers and sellers feel about their company’s prospects today and in the next 3-6 months.
Mill Spot Price Negotiations
We survey active steel buyers on pricing plans for domestic sheet and plate; results reveal shifting spot trends.
Overall Demand
Track steel demand across the supply chain and whether buyers report it as improving, steady, or declining.
Latest news
U.S. Steel posts mixed Q1, BR2 ramp-up drives major volume gains
U.S. Steel delivered a mixed first quarter. Segment performances diverged sharply as winter weather, outage activity, and major capital projects weighed on results.
Plate sources worry over near-term supply issues, price direction
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.
USS and USW convene ahead of formal contract negotiations
The United Steelworkers labor union and U.S. Steel plan to address their partnership and profit-sharing agreement during the week of May 11.
Algoma earnings tumble in Q1, tariff woes continue
Algoma Steel’s loss widened in the first quarter as tariffs and the EAF transition impacted its bottom line.
Final Thoughts: Summer scrap primer
What might be in store for the ferrous scrap market this summer?
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet and plate markets continue to tick higher
All five of SMU’s sheet and plate price indices ticked higher this week, rising further to new multi-year highs. Prices increased between $5-25 per short ton (st) from last week and are $30-65/st higher than they were one month ago.
Lutnick: USMCA could be replaced by separate deals with Mexico and Canada
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the US should pursue separate, bilateral trade negotiations with Canada and Mexico instead of renewing the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
American Axle workers at Three Rivers plant OK potential strike
American Axle (Dauch Corp.) workers in Three Rivers, Mich., have voted to authorize a strike.








