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.
Mill Order Index
Monitor service center purchasing with our inventory-based insight into demand momentum and lead-time trends.
Steel Demand Index
Derived from the market surveys SMU conducts every other week, the Steel Demand Index is a diffusion index and a statistical tool to measure the breadth of change across our overall demand data series. It effectively helps identify widespread demand trends or turning points. An index score above 50 indicates components are increasing more than […]
Latest news
SMU Steel Summit 2026: Can’t-miss exclusive interviews
We’re officially less than 30 days from the kick-off of SMU Steel Summit 2026 in Atlanta.
Price: Setting the record straight on steel as the summer of trade heats up
The busy summer for US trade, which we wrote about previously, is heating up with new Section 301 forced labor duties of 10-12.5% imposed on 60 countries and new Section 338 duties of 50% announced on certain Canadian imports.
HR sources report stability, imports improve availability for some
Sources across the hot-rolled coil spot market said it was somewhat easier to find spot HR, at moderately shorter lead times, and at stable prices in recent days.
AMU Survey: Recyclers turn more cautious
AMU’s July survey found recyclers expecting lower prices as demand softened, while forward scrap supply views remained mixed.
Commerce modifies duties on Korean CR, galvanized sheet
The US Department of Commerce is adjusting the import duties on Korean cold-rolled and galvanized steel after two administrative reviews.
Reliance lauds US reshoring investments
Reliance Inc said that US government industrial policies contributed to its second-quarter financial success.
GrafTech narrows Q2 loss, expects ‘modest’ graphite electrode demand growth
GrafTech International’s net loss narrowed in the second quarter as the company expects a modest increase in demand for graphite electrodes in 2026.
Reliance finds competitive advantage amid suboptimal market conditions
Strong steel prices and elevated interest rates may be reshaping the competitive landscape among metals distributors.
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