Season
Detailed in winter, fabricated in spring, erected through the build season.
Commodity playbook
Who ships structural steel
| Shipper | Town | County |
|---|---|---|
| Nucor | Charlotte, NC | Mecklenburg |
| Steel Dynamics | Columbia City, IN | Whitley |
| Commercial Metals Company | Irving, TX | Dallas |
| Gerdau Ameristeel US | Tampa, FL | Hillsborough |
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Mills and their head offices. The fabricator layer beneath them is far larger and is where most of the truckload freight actually sits.
Ask for the fabricator's shipping coordinator. Mills often move on rail and contract; fabricators run trucks constantly and to a schedule that changes with the jobsite. Because steel arrives at a site in the order the crane needs it, delivery sequence matters more than delivery speed, which is a genuinely different service to sell.
Where it hauls
Two layers, both flatbed. Mills roll wide flange beams, channel and angle, concentrated in Arkansas, Indiana, Texas and the southeast. Fabricators buy that steel, cut, drill and weld it into the pieces a specific building needs, then ship it to the jobsite in erection sequence. There are far more fabricators than mills and they are spread across every metro. Mill to fabricator is the long haul; fabricator to jobsite is short, sequenced and unforgiving. The mills to know:
How to open
"Are you booking flatbed for the spring erection season? I understand loads have to arrive in sequence, not just on time."
To mills and fabricators, January into FebruarySequence is the word that lands. A load of beams delivered out of order blocks a crane and costs a day of an erection crew, which is far more expensive than the freight.
Qualifying questions
- What lengths, and do you need a stretch trailer? Structural members run long. Anything over about 48 feet needs a stretch or extendable flatbed and may need permits and flags. Get the longest piece before you dispatch anything.
- Is it going in erection sequence? Jobsite steel arrives in the order the crane lifts it. Delivering the right steel in the wrong order is a failed delivery even though everything is on the trailer. Confirm the sequence requirement.
- Mill to fabricator, or fabricator to site? Mill outbound is long haul and rail-competitive. Fabricator to jobsite is short, sequenced and date-critical. Two different businesses, so establish which.
- How is it secured? Beams and bundles need rated chains, edge protection and proper blocking, and long members shift under braking. This is skilled flatbed work and the shipper will assess whether you know it.
- Is there a crane at the site? Structural steel is not unloaded by the driver. Confirm there is a crane, that it is scheduled for your arrival window, and who directs the lift.
When to call
January and February, while fabricators are detailing and buying for spring. With lead times running six to eight months, steel booked now is steel that erects late in the year or beyond. That long lead is the opportunity: unlike almost everything else on this calendar, this freight can be planned rather than chased.
Sources
- US Department of Commerce trade case filings identify the domestic long-products mill group: Nucor, Steel Dynamics, Commercial Metals Company, Gerdau Ameristeel US, Byer Steel and Optimus Steel, with head offices at Charlotte, Fort Wayne, Irving, Tampa, Cincinnati and Beaumont respectively. trade.gov
- Lead times of six to eight months at multiyear highs and structural steel prices up 25 to 30% since January come from steel trade press rather than a published index, and are flagged as trade press. The January to February call window is reasoned from the erection season.