Service Center Inventories
SMU surveys key data providers each month to gather the latest information on steel sheet and plate inventories.
An array of proprietary products
Explore our proprietary steel market insights. Key features include service center inventories, flat rolled lead times, steel buyers’ sentiment indices, mill negotiation rates, and more. Access everything you need to track market momentum and make informed decisions
Survey derived insights
Access SMU’s proprietary mill lead times, negotiation rates, steel buyers’ sentiment indices, and more. The data comes from SMU’s surveys, which have been helping our subscribers keep their finger on the pulse of the steel market for more than a decade
Service center inventory and shipment data
Stay on top of the sheet and plate markets with SMU’s monthly service center shipment and inventory reports. When you know how you stack up against your peers, you can better manage your own stocks
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.
Key Market Indicators
Explore combined economic and industry metrics that summarize essential data and price indices relevant to the steel market.
Latest news
SMU Community Chat: Unpacking the legal considerations of IEEPA tariffs and the Supreme Court
Wiley Law trade attorneys, Alan Price and Robert DeFrancesco, offered legal expertise to steel and aluminum market participants on Thursday’s SMU Community Chat.
US rig count ticks higher, Canada falls
The latest Baker Hughes rig count report showed oil and gas drilling improved in the US this past week, while Canada saw its rig count decline.
CRU outlook: Divergent regional sheet price trends will persist in the near term
Global sheet markets face divergent trajectories into year-end, with Asian (excl. India) markets under pressure from oversupply. This, while Western markets experience temporary support from supply constraints.
AMU: Negotiations heat up in US VAP market: Billet, PFA and wire rod premiums diverge
Contract talks for U.S. value-added aluminum products are reaching a critical stage, with billet, primary foundry alloys, and wire rod upcharges diverging as buyers and producers race to finalized 2026 pricing.
SMU flat-rolled market survey results now available
SMU’s latest steel buyers market survey results are now available on our website to all premium members. After logging in at steelmarketupdate.com, visit the pricing and analysis tab and look under the “survey results” section for “latest survey results.” Past survey results are also available under that selection. If you need help accessing the survey results, or if […]
SMU Survey: Current Sentiment falls, Future Sentiment ticks up
SMU’s Current Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Index slipped this week while Future Sentiment inched up, according to our most recent survey data.
Final Thoughts
Scrap keeps on trucking, shutdown or not.
Low demand amid mill price hikes confounds sheet market participants
US sheet market participants say demand for hot- and cold-rolled coils has not increased, leaving them confused by mill price increases and average lead times.
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Aluminum Market Update
AMU brings expert perspectives, proprietary data, and news analysis to businesses across the aluminum and nonferrous scrap markets
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