What’s on the clock for December 2026
The following eight Gerdau Long Steel merchant‑bar EPDs are set to expire in December 2026. Product names reflect the program listings and mill coverage.
- Merchant Bar, Cambridge, ON Canada Steel Mill — valid through 2026‑12‑10
- Merchant Bar, Average of Multiple Steel Mills — valid through 2026‑12‑09
- Merchant Bar, Wilton, IA Steel Mill — valid through 2026‑12‑09
- Merchant Bar, Selkirk, MB Steel Mill — valid through 2026‑12‑09
- Merchant Bar, Midlothian, TX Steel Mill — valid through 2026‑12‑09
- Merchant Bar, Whitby, ON Canada Steel Mill — valid through 2026‑12‑09
- Merchant Bar, Cartersville, GA Steel Mill — valid through 2026‑12‑09
- Merchant Bar, Charlotte, NC Steel Mill — valid through 2026‑12‑09
For general company information, see Gerdau North America’s site.
https://www.gerdau.com/northamerica
You can also browse program‑operator listings on EPD Directory.
https://epd.directory/
Replacements posted yet
As of April 20, 2026, we do not see newly published replacement EPDs for these merchant‑bar lines in public registries. That means specifiers planning Q1–Q2 2027 installs could face an EPD gap unless renewals land before mid‑December.
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Where specs may flow instead
If renewals are not live by December, expect attention to shift to merchant‑bar or closely adjacent long‑steel EPDs that are current today:
- Steel Dynamics Inc. Steel Structural and Merchant Bar, valid to 2028‑11‑06, program operator ASTM International. A direct substitute for MBQ angles, channels and rounds where SDI’s size range matches the bill of materials.
- ArcelorMittal Europe‑Long Products XCarb Structural Steel Sections and Merchant Bars, valid to 2026‑07‑18, program operator IBU. Some owners accept EN 15804 EPDs when domestic content rules do not apply. Timing is tight on this one due to its July 2026 end date.
These are examples specifiers tell us they keep in a comparison set. Always confirm dimensional availability, grade and country‑of‑origin rules before swapping. If trustworthy numbers on inventory coverage are missing, say so plainly rather than guessing.
What this means for bids and LEED v5
Many public and private owners now prefer product‑specific Type III EPDs during procurement. Without a current declaration, design teams often must apply conservative carbon factors or default assumptions, which can push a product out of contention even if price is sharp. LEED v5 continues to recognize product‑specific EPDs for materials credits, so current documentation keeps options open for low‑carbon pathways and credit stacking (USGBC LEED v5, 2025).
Timelines are not forgiving
December 2026 sounds far away until data collection begins. EPD renewals require a fresh data pull, alignment to the current Part A and the steel Part B PCR, third‑party review, and program‑operator publication. Selecting the operator up front can reduce rework because formatting and evidence expectations differ slightly between Smart EPD, ASTM, UL and others. Treat the PCR like the rulebook of Monopoly. Ignore it and the game falls apart.
Smart renewal choices for merchant‑bar portfolios
A few moves help teams protect specification share without burning calendar:
- Decide early between multi‑plant average and mill‑specific EPDs. Multi‑plant averages simplify coverage; mill‑specific can unlock tighter claims for targeted markets.
- Lock the PCR reference. For North American steel, the Designated Steel Construction Products Part B is the common path across major operators in 2025 and 2026, so data templates, cut‑offs, and scrap accounting align to reviewer expectations (Smart EPD Part B, 2025).
- Plan for evidence. Metering snapshots, scrap composition, transport legs and fabrication yields are where reviewers focus first. A clean audit trail speeds verification.
Risk check for adjacent Gerdau long‑steel EPDs
Outside merchant bar, several Gerdau North American rebar and structural listings also approach late‑2026 dates. If your catalog relies on both rebar and MBQ, sequence the renewals so there is no single month where multiple anchor EPDs lapse at once. That simple staggering can keep bids moving when jobs pile up and engineering is stretched thin.
The window to act
To avoid a December scramble, teams should kick off MBQ renewals now, align on the PCR and operator, then run the data play with manufacturing, procurement and EH&S in one room. We can’t sugar‑coat it. Calendar drift kills otherwise solid submittals. A crisp plan, a single source of truth for the data, and reviewer‑ready evidence are what seperate the winners from the rework.
If you need a sanity check on scope, PCR selection, or publication options, reach out and we’ll point you to a pragmatic path that gets the new EPDs in spec on time.
