US domestic mills' price increases in the last couple weeks have stabilized domestic hot dipped galvanized (HDG) and Galvalume spot prices after weeks of declines. The increase announcements brought asking prices on coated flat steel base products to approximately $40.00-$40.50 cwt. ($882-$893/mt or $800-$810/nt) ex-mill; but while the price increases led to a boost in activity over the past week, and the deepest discounts have now largely dissipated, the general spot price range has not yet moved.
Both HDG and Galvalume base spot prices are holding steady from a week ago in the $37.00-$39.00 cwt. ($816-$860/mt or $740-$780/nt) ex-Midwest mill range, and sources tell SteelOrbis that they're confident prices can hold up for at least a couple weeks. However, whether prices will actually increase--and by how much--is uncertain. With many US buyers already holding high inventories and demand strong but still outweighed by supply, skepticism over the sustainability of the increases remains prevalent.
Cwt. | Metric Ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week | |
US domestic HDG base price | $37.00-$39.00 | $816-$860 | $740-$780 | neutral |
0.012"x40.875" G30 | ||||
ex-Midwest mill | $48.00-$50.00 | $1,058-$1,102 | $960-$1,000 | neutral |
0.019"x48" G90 | ||||
ex-Midwest mill | $48.00-$50.00 | $1,058-$1,102 | $960-$1,000 | neutral |
US domestic Galvalume base price | ||||
ex-Midwest mill | $37.00-$39.00 | $816-$860 | $740-$780 | neutral |
0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | ||||
ex-Midwest mill | $48.00-$50.00 | $1,058-$1,102 | $960-$1,000 | netural |