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.
Latest news
Holiday Notice: Easter
Steel Market Update will be taking time off in observance of Good Friday and Easter.
Final Thoughts: the Iran War, tariffs, and the dark side of The Moon
If I had to sum it up, I’d say “pain at the pump” is back. AAA says gasoline now averages more than $4 per gallon nationally ($4.08 to be precise) for the first time in for years. Meanwhile, diesel prices average $5.40 per gallon, according to the US Energy Information Administration. That’s up $1.81 per gallon from a year ago.
Price gap between US HRC, imports tightens
The price gap between US hot-rolled coil (HR) and landed offshore product tightened this week.
SMU Survey: Sheet and plate lead times stabilize at multi-year highs
Steel mill production times for sheet and plate products remain at or near multi-year highs, according to buyers responding to our latest market survey.
Market fears shortages of domestically produced plate products
Spot market participants worry that limited availability for certain grades of domestically produced plate will extend lead times even further.
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.
Steady growth in manufacturing activity continued in March: ISM
US manufacturing activity grew for the third straight month in March, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). March marked the 17th month of overall economic expansion.
Trump administration introduces shift to full-value tariffs on derivative imports
The Trump administration has implemented changes to its steel and aluminum tariff framework that alter how duties are applied to imported manufactured goods, according to an April 2 presidential proclamation.
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