How to Read a Rolling Schedule

A steel rolling schedule is a table that provides a list of planned manufacturing activities, timelines and product availability for steel mill production.

To understand a rolling schedule for a specific steel mill, it’s important to examine each section of the chart and determine its meaning, allowing you to effectively utilize the information to plan your project's purchasing needs.

Why are Steel Rolling Schedules Important?

Rolling schedules are essential for construction specifiers, contractors, fabricators and other industry professionals because they help understand the status of the market, including rollings that have extended beyond the typical timeline or those that are closing early.

It also helps estimate the steel supply chain timeline, as steel is cast for beam blanks approximately two weeks prior to rolling, then transported by freight to fabricators and service centers and eventually to customer job sites.

Essentially, rolling schedules provide steel purchasers and design professionals with the insight to determine logistics timelines for product end uses, which will, in turn, affect construction timelines.

Step 1: Determine the Context and Timeline of the Rolling Schedule

In this article, we will use an example from one of Nucor's beam mills, Nucor-Yamato Steel Company. Please note that rolling schedules from other mills or companies may vary slightly based on their products and processes.

Nucor’s two beam mills – Nucor-Yamato Steel Company in Arkansas and Nucor Steel Berkeley in South Carolina – update their rolling schedules on a weekly basis every Friday.

• You can find the schedule published date in the upper right-hand corner.
• A typical roll cycle takes six to seven weeks for production of market-ready steel products but timing can vary based on market demand or other production factors.

If you are looking at a different product or company, find the dates or inquire to learn about their timelines.

Step 2: Check Steel Product Type and Size Specifications

On the left side of the example rolling schedule, you will see a column with product type and size specifications.

• For example, with wide flange beams, each product type has an assigned letter. Here, the letter W stands for Wide Flange, L for angle and C for channel.
• The first number is nominal height, the second number is not commonly used, but indicates general width and the third number, or range of numbers, is weight per linear foot.

If the rolling schedule designates the mill stand where the steel will be produced, you will see the mill stand number in the next column from the left.

Step 3: View the Scheduled Dates and Production Status

The bulk of the chart contains the week-of dates listed at the top with the numbers and status indicators for varying products listed throughout. The span of weeks shown on the schedule can vary but generally show an eight- to ten-week timeframe.

At the top of the rolling schedule, you will see a list of letters used to indicate the production status. Here, we will break down the status indicators to determine what they mean and why they matter.

Definitions for Rolling Schedule Standard Indicators:

• C stands for CLOSED.
  This means that rolling is no longer accepting new orders. Either the rolling is full or the beam blank casting for that rolling volume has already been placed. If you want to order a section within that product type, you will need to wait until the next order window opens
• If you see an E, it means CONTROLLED.
  This is rare and typically only occurs during the highest-demand markets. Roll dates are monitored to maximize mill tonnage output.
• The I indicates INQUIRE.
  This indicates that the order is approaching its limit, and we recommend contacting the mill to determine if rolling has closed or how much time remains before it closes, as indicated by the date next to it. 
  
  In this example, a W14x455 is an “inquire” section, which will start rolling the week of February 9 and finish during the week of February 16, but it will close for casting on January 24. The Nucor mill you’re working with should be contacted in advance of that date to verify the actual closing date.
• The O means the production is OPEN.
  With this indicator, steel purchasers can still place orders for this material.
• PS stands for PLANNED STOCK.
  Planned stock signifies that the mill is planning to roll extra stock for inventory. So, while a rolling may be closed with planned stock (C PS), there still may be an opportunity to secure material in that rolling. Steel purchasers can reach out to the mill for more information if they would like to buy additional inventory.
• SA means SUBJECT TO ACCUMULATION.
  Typically, this is only used for sections that are rolled less frequently. If the mill doesn’t get orders over a certain threshold, that rolling may be skipped.

Step 4: Recognize Other Chart Indicators

In addition to the letter indications listed above, other symbols will help you better understand the rolling schedule.

The following are common rolling schedule indicators:

• ARROWS
  These indicate the rollings are sliding in or out one week. Depending on the mill, rollings could move forward or back. The mill uses this information to track performance and influence future rolling schedules and dates.
  
  In this example, a W36x135 has an arrow on week eight, but it is shown to have an open rolling on week nine. This family of sections was originally scheduled to roll out in week eight, but it was pushed back to week nine.
• HIGHLIGHTED SECTIONS
  The dark yellow rollings are anticipated to be closing soon, and lighter yellow indicates that the rolling will close within the next week.
• SHUTDOWNS
  These occur periodically for upgrades or maintenance, which the mills typically build into the schedule every spring and fall. If the mill knows early, they give advance notice, but typically it is noted within the window of time that it happens.

On the far right, you can see the PROJECTED NEXT WEEK column containing a grouping of weeks estimated for the next time that family of sections will be rolling. This is not absolute until the next eight- or ten-week cycle window opens, but it gives a good indication of when the mill anticipates the next rolling to occur.

Rolling Schedule Assistance

Nucor is the largest steel producer and recycler in North America. Our circular steelmaking method uses electric arc furnace (EAF) technology with scrap as the primary feedstock to produce new steel, resulting in high-quality, sustainable, low-embodied carbon steel.

Steel product rolling schedules are valuable for specifiers, contractors and our customers to determine project planning timelines. Nucor serves as your proactive partner from the early design phase to completion.

Connect with Nucor’s steel product specialists to learn more about our steel rolling schedules, our sustainable EAF steelmaking process or for design assistance Contact Nucor Construction Solutions

To see the process, watch our video: How to Read a Rolling Schedule