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
Plate market participants anticipate producer hikes
Plate market participants expect domestic producers to issue a $40-60 per short ton (st) price increase.
Dodge: Nonres slips in January, data centers remain a bright spot
The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) fell 6.2% in January to 272.7, retreating from December’s downwardly revised reading of 291.0, according to the latest data released by Dodge Construction Network.
Great lakes iron ore shipments drop in 2025
US-flagged iron ore shipments on the Great Lakes fell last year vs. 2024.
Baker Hughes: US, Canada gas drilling up, oil down from last year
Baker Hughes’ latest rig count report shows oil and gas drilling picked up in the US this week, but slowed in Canada. Oil drilling in both countries is down from last year, while gas drilling has picked up, mainly in the US.
SMU Scrap Survey: Current Sentiment rises, Future Sentiment stable
SMU’s Current Sentiment Index for scrap jumped again in February, according to the latest data from our ferrous scrap survey. And the Future Sentiment Index remained the same for the third consecutive month.
Century’s Hawesville smelter sale in the context of US primary aluminum
Former smelter sites have become increasingly attractive to data center developers competing for electricity to support AI.
SMU Steel Survey: Buyers’ Sentiment Indices slip but still indicate optimism
SMU’s Steel Buyers’ Sentiment Indices both edged lower this week following the multi-month highs set in mid-January.
GrafTech’s results underscore pricing pain despite strong US volume gains
GrafTech International closed 2025 with firmer sales volumes and significant cost reductions. But the graphite electrode producer remained deep in the red as global oversupply and aggressive competitor pricing continued to pressure realized prices.
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