What MEPS International Ltd. does

MEPS International Ltd. is a privately owned, independent UK-based provider of steel market intelligence, founded in 1979 as a consultancy and operating as a leading steel price assessment provider since 1984. Headquartered in Sheffield with a research staff of 11-50 employees and local correspondents worldwide, the firm collects price and market data through proprietary telephone and VoIP-based confidential dialogue with steel distributors, service centres, stockholders, mills, and buyers, corroborating information across market participants and challenging anomalous prices. The firm maintains complete independence from any steel buying or selling organisation, holding formal Competition Compliance and Anti-Bribery policies alongside GDPR-compliant research practices.

The product portfolio consists of monthly Steel Review publications (European, International, Stainless, Developing Markets, Semi-Finished, Ferrous Scrap) priced at £1,500-£1,600/yr, regional price data tables (World, Europe, Asia, North America, Nordic, India, China, Latin America, Billet) at £290/yr, and 12-month regional forecasts plus an annual Steel Price Outlook with 5-year forecasts at £460+/yr. Coverage spans 28 countries across 5 continents, with products delivered via a subscription-based self-service online portal. The go-to-market is sales-led and primarily direct/online, supplemented by conference participation and content marketing through blog, podcast, and earned media.

MEPS serves a diversified customer base of 5,000+ companies including 50+ Fortune Global 500 firms across automotive (ŠKODA), packaging (Mauser), industrial automation (Vanderlande), retail (Kingfisher, Woolworths Group), and rail infrastructure (Pandrol). Revenue mechanics are predominantly recurring annual subscriptions, with single-user, multi-user, and company-wide licence tiers, and immediate access upon credit card purchase or bank transfer for enterprise accounts. The firm operates without disclosed external funding, indicating a self-sustaining, cash-generative niche information services business.

Name

MEPS International Ltd.

Legal name

MEPS International Ltd.

Website

https://mepsinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MEPS International is a privately owned, independent UK-based firm that supplies benchmark steel prices, indices, 12-month forecasts, and monthly market analysis to 5,000+ companies across 28 countries via subscription data products and research publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Steel Market Intelligence

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro primary industry

Commodity Market Data, Pricing & Benchmark Administrators (Commodity Indices/Assessments) (FSAFAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Commodities Research (FSACAGAE)

Keywords

• Steel price data
• Commodity research services
• Metals market intelligence
• Price forecasting
• Steel industry analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Steel Price Data Subscriptions: MEPS offers subscription-based access to steel price data tables covering carbon steel, stainless steel, and raw materials across multiple regions. Subscriptions are priced per data table with single-user licence, 12-month term, and include 3 years of historical data.
2. Monthly Steel Review Publications: MEPS publishes monthly steel review publications including European Steel Review, International Steel Review, Stainless Steel Review, Developing Markets Steel Review, and others. These are annual subscriptions offering detailed market analysis and commentary.
3. Steel Price Forecast Products: MEPS offers product-specific and regional 12-month steel price forecasts and index forecasts. These are sold as annual subscriptions at higher price points than standard price data.
4. Licensing Fees: MEPS offers both single-user and multi-user licences for their data products. Enterprise multi-user and company licence options are available with contact sales for pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MEPS International Ltd. researches, assesses, and publishes independent benchmark steel prices, indices, and 12-month price forecasts covering carbon steel, stainless steel, and raw materials across 28 countries. Customers access this intelligence through subscription products including monthly Steel Review publications, regional price data tables, and forecasting reports, all delivered via the MEPS online portal. The research methodology is built on confidential telephone dialogue with steel buyers, sellers, distributors, and producers worldwide.

Product overview

MEPS International Ltd. is a world-leading independent supplier of steel market data, offering a comprehensive portfolio of products across carbon steel, stainless steel, and raw materials. The core offering consists of monthly Steel Review publications (European Steel Review, International Steel Review, Stainless Steel Review, Developing Markets Steel Review, Semi-Finished Steel Review, Ferrous Scrap Review) providing detailed market analysis and commentary. Supporting these are regional price data tables for World, Europe, Asia, North America, Nordic, India, China, and Latin America markets, covering carbon steel, stainless steel, billet, and scrap. The company also offers forecasting products including 12-month regional price forecasts for various steel products and the annual Steel Price Outlook with 5-year forecasts. Data is delivered through subscription-based access to the MEPS Portal, with pricing typically at GBP 290 per data table per annum and GBP 1,500-1,600 for monthly review publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• European Steel Review

Quantifiable outcome

• 90-95% 12-month forecast accuracy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Future of Green Steel ConferenceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2026MEPS is confirmed as a speaker at the Future of Green Steel 2026 conference in London, joining other industry leaders from Metinvest, CRU, and Crowe UK to discuss commercial, technological, and regulatory dimensions of low-carbon steel production.
• Heena Steel / Men of Steel PodcastminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 June 2026MEPS head of price analysis and forecasts, Kaye Ayub, appeared as the first international guest on the Indian Men of Steel podcast hosted by Bhavin (Heena Steel founder), discussing India steel production, geopolitical impacts, and MEPS forecast accuracy.
• British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026MEPS participates in the BSSA's annual conference where their head of price analysis and forecasts, Kaye Ayub, and lead steel market analyst Michelle Kirton, deliver presentations on stainless steel market trends, trade defence measures, and price forecasts to BSSA members.
• BSSA Annual ConferenceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026MEPS experts presented at the British Stainless Steel Association's annual conference in Leeds, UK, addressing stainless steel market complexity, trade restrictions, and procurement priorities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• World Steel Association (worldsteel): Industry association representing steel producers, publishing global crude steel production statistics, demand outlooks and short-range forecasts. A thematically related data provider that competes indirectly with MEPS's production/consumption trend content, though not a commercial subscription competitor.

Emerging players

• SteelOrbis: Online steel market intelligence platform providing daily/weekly price assessments, news and conferences with regional coverage (Europe, Americas, Asia). Comparable to MEPS in steel-only focus and price-reporting model, but operates as a digital-first, lower-cost alternative targeting emerging-market participants.
• SteelBenchmarker: Public steel price benchmark initiative launched by worldsteel, USITC and partners, publishing weekly steel pricing data. Conceptually a direct peer to MEPS in steel price assessment, but operates as an industry-association-backed reference price rather than a commercial subscription product.

Broad incumbents

• Wood Mackenzie: Global research and consultancy firm covering metals, mining, energy and renewables with subscription research, price forecasting and advisory services. Competes with MEPS for steel and metals market intelligence budgets at large enterprises, though at a much broader, cross-commodity scale.
• Bloomberg L.P. Global financial data and analytics platform with extensive commodity coverage including steel, scrap and raw material prices, news and forecasts. Competes for the same enterprise market intelligence budgets as MEPS, particularly for procurement and trading desks that use Bloomberg's data feed and terminal.
• S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts): Large, established commodity data and price assessment franchise (formerly S&P Global Platts) covering energy, metals (including steel) and agricultural markets with global enterprise reach. Overlaps with MEPS in steel price benchmarks but competes as a broad incumbent with much wider product portfolio and API/data feed infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Argus Media: Independent commodity price reporting agency covering metals (including steel and ferrous), energy and agriculture with subscription assessments, indices and analytics. Comparable to MEPS in price-reporting-as-a-service model and steel buyer/seller customer base.
• Fastmarkets: Global commodity price reporting agency (formerly Metal Bulletin) publishing steel, ferrous scrap and raw material prices, indices and forecasts on subscription. Closest like-for-like competitor to MEPS in independent steel price assessment methodology and subscription distribution model.
• CRU International: UK-based independent commodity research and price assessment provider with deep steel market coverage across carbon, stainless, raw materials and forecasts. Directly comparable to MEPS in business model, customer base (steel producers, distributors, end-users) and product portfolio of price assessments, monthly reviews and forecasts.

Regional players

• Mysteel Global: China-based leading steel and raw materials information provider with extensive domestic Chinese price assessments, news and data feeds extending into global markets. Comparable to MEPS in steel-only price-reporting model, but its primary strength and data depth is in China rather than Europe/US where MEPS is strongest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mepssteelprices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meps-international-ltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/MEPS-International-Ltd-107491749337096

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MEPS International Ltd.