Manitoba manufacturers report steel delays and volatile pricing as domestic supply tightens

A Brandon manufacturer and a Manitoba steel supplier say Canadian buyers are facing a tighter, less predictable steel market even as demand recovers. Greenstone Building Products, which makes about 20,000 building-envelope panels annually for projects in Manitoba, Nunavut and British Columbia, reports that its galvanized-steel inputs have become both more expensive and substantially slower to arrive. The company also exports some panels to U.S. states, where it says 25 per cent tariffs are weakening business. [1]

According to Greenstone business manager Tilda Fortier, quoted prices that formerly remained available for roughly two weeks are now valid only for the day. Typical galvanized-steel delivery times have stretched from about two weeks to four months. Greenstone has responded by ordering larger quantities and operating with less lean inventory practices, a shift that raises working-capital needs and increases exposure when input prices move quickly. [1]

Dave Copp Steel, a Manitoba supplier serving hundreds of manufacturers and fabricators, similarly reports high demand alongside constrained availability. Its president said customer demand, which fell in the prior year amid tariffs and uncertainty, has been improving since spring 2026, supported in part by institutional construction such as schools and hospitals. But distributors are sourcing more heavily from Canadian suppliers, while tariffs and quotas have limited offshore imports; overseas material also generally takes longer to reach Canada than U.S. shipments. [1]

The supplier’s purchasing mix illustrates the adjustment underway. About three-quarters of its raw steel is now sourced in Canada, up from roughly 65 per cent before the U.S. tariff dispute, while overseas sourcing has risen to about one-quarter from five per cent. Purchases from the United States, previously around one-quarter of supply, have become virtually nonexistent, according to Copp. He cautioned that the extent of price increases and delivery delays differs by product and said his company deals less directly in galvanized steel. [1]

The reporting points to a split between producer activity and downstream purchasing conditions. The source describes Gerdau’s Selkirk structural-steel facility as busy and notes that Canadian mills may be benefiting from current market conditions, while manufacturers contend with higher costs, longer procurement cycles and uncertainty. A federal rebate program launched in August covers 50 per cent of eligible rail and marine costs for interprovincial Canadian-steel shipments, which a University of Manitoba supply-chain professor said could help Manitoba firms receiving material from Ontario. [1]

For steel-consuming manufacturers, the immediate issue is not simply the nominal price of metal but the loss of reliable procurement timing and quote certainty. The account is based on conditions reported by individual market participants rather than a sector-wide measure, and it does not establish that all Canadian steel products or regions face the same degree of disruption. Still, it adds evidence that buyers are adjusting inventory and sourcing practices as availability tightens. [1]