7 Things Garage Door Dealers Should Know About Steel Prices, Supply Chains, and Surviving Uncertainty

When you’re running a garage door business, your margins depend heavily on what you’re paying for steel. In this Torsion Talk episode, Ryan from Aaron Overhead Doors interviews Brian Buckaloo from Majestic Steel to break down the forces shaping steel pricing—and what garage door dealers should be doing right now to protect their profit.

This isn’t guesswork. It’s practical insight from two leaders in the field.

1. Galvanized Steel Is at a Low Point—But Not for Long

• Galvanized steel prices hit their lowest mark in over a year as of September.
  
• A flood of foreign steel entering the U.S. market contributed to the dip.
  
• Maintenance outages at mills are expected to drive longer lead times and likely price increases.
  

“Lead times are already 6–8 weeks. When they hit 10–12, prices spike.” — Brian Buckaloo

Are your suppliers passing along these savings? If not, it’s time to negotiate pricing.

2. Port Strikes Could Choke Supply Chains

• Gulf and East Coast dock workers may walk off the job.
  
• If that happens, steel imports could slow to a crawl.
  
• Dealers reliant on imported garage doors or components will feel it fast.
  

Want to reduce supply chain risk? Markinuity’s post How To Start Marketing For Your Garage Door Business includes strategies for adapting when supply becomes unpredictable. 

3. More Tariffs May Be Coming

• New trade cases are pushing for tariffs on imported steel from Vietnam, Turkey, and others.
  
• Dealers may see short-term overstock, followed by long-term shortages.
  
• Domestic steel buyers like Majestic are seeing returning customers who normally buy offshore.
  

“Disruption favors the prepared. Be ready to shift suppliers if needed.”

See how Alpha Overhead Door adjusted their digital strategy during volatile times in our case study. 

4. Steel Is Still 12% More Expensive Than Pre‑COVID

• Even with recent drops, hot‑dipped galvanized steel is still up 12% compared to 2019.
  
• Many manufacturers haven’t lowered prices accordingly.
  
• Dealers who accept inflated pricing hurt their bottom line.
  

Need help assessing margins or finding leaks in cost? Markinuity’s Financial Systems Every Garage Door Business Needs to Succeed walks through exactly how to track those numbers.

5. Use Cost Modeling to Get Real Numbers From Suppliers

Smart garage door companies are starting to ask for cost modeling:

• What’s the landed cost of the door?
  
• How much is freight?
  
• What are material vs. labor vs. margin splits?
  

Manufacturers know the answers. You should too.

Also, the post 10 Strategies That Helped Grow a Garage Door Business into a High‑Performance Machine offers examples of how top‑performing door companies manage this kind of vendor transparency. 

6. Price Increases Are Coming—Watch the Lead Times

• Steel orders today are booked for delivery in mid to late November.
  
• When lead times stretch past 8 weeks, expect price hikes.
  
• Prepare now by locking in prices and watching for mill maintenance schedules.
  

Growers often combine this with the practices described in The Ultimate Guide to Internal Communication for Garage Door Companies — good internal coordination helps mitigate risk when supply is delayed.

7. Focus on Customers, Not Just Efficiency

Brian warns that some companies overfocus on operations and forget the customer.

“Operations gets lean. Sales gets squeezed. The client suffers.”

Markinuity helps dealers strike balance. In the J.A.G. & Sons Overhead Doors Case Study you’ll see how a stronger local SEO and user‑friendly website led to more form submissions and phone calls, not just cheaper pricing. 

Key Takeaways

• Steel prices are down. Use this moment to renegotiate costs.
  
• Disruption is likely. Watch ports, tariffs, and elections.
  
• Lead times predict price spikes. Monitor them weekly.
  
• Use cost modeling. Don’t fly blind on margin.
  
• Stay customer‑first. Efficiency means nothing if you’re losing clients.
  

Want help navigating volatile pricing or tightening your systems?

Book a strategy session with Markinuity and get ahead of what’s coming.