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
Nucor CEO upbeat on 2026, eyes M&A as projects wrap up
Nucor Chair and CEO Leon Topalian is bullish on the outlook for 2026. And noted that the Charlotte, NC-based steelmaker remains in the hunt for M&A opportunities.
Final Thoughts
What do SMU’s latest survey results show about the current market take on tariffs and where HRC prices are going?
SMU Price Ranges: Sheet continues mostly upward, plate holds as sources assess impact of severe cold
Sheet prices mostly continued their uneven but steady march higher this week, according to SMU’s latest check of the market.
Cold snap pushes AZZ to temporarily close some locations in Southeast and Texas
AZZ Inc. posted on its website that it had temporarily closed more than half a dozen locations in response to the extremely cold weather gripping much of the US.
Alton Steel to close, cites competitive disadvantages
Alton Steel Inc. (ASI), a special bar quality (SBQ) steel producer, said it will close operations later this week.
Millett blasts BlueScope board, says SDI and SGH remain best fit
“The premise for the board’s rejection was insufficient value. Yet they provided shareholders with no reasonable, executable alternative strategy that would provide the same certainty of shareholder return,” SDI Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO Mark Millett said.
Nucor earnings rise in Q4’25, rosier outlook for current quarter
Nucor reported higher profits in the fourth quarter on-year, and expects sequential improvements across all segments in the current quarter.
SDI posts strong Q4 profit despite outages and contract price lags
Steel Dynamics Inc. reported higher Q4 profits despite lower contract prices for flat-rolled steel and more outages than usual in the quarter.
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