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    Tag: Hot Rolled

    Sheet lead times pull back after early-June blip, plate holds

    Following the uptick seen two weeks ago, lead times eased this week for all four sheet products tracked by SMU, while plate lead times held steady, according to this week’s market survey. Although production times extended across the board in early June, sheet lead times remained near some of the shortest levels recorded since late 2023. Prior to June, sheet production times had shortened from early April through late May, with most products falling to lows not seen in over two years.

    Final Thoughts

    Even before the news about Mexico, I didn’t want to overstate the magnitude of the change in momentum. As far as we could tell, there hadn’t been a frenzy of new ordering following President Trump’s announcement of 50% Section 232 tariffs. But higher tariffs had unquestionably raised prices for imports, which typically provide the floor for domestic pricing. We’d heard, for example, that prices below $800 per short ton for hot-rolled (HR) coil were gone from the domestic market – even for larger buyers.