The most commonly heard spot price transaction range for US domestic hot dipped galvanized (HDG) coil has firmed by $1.00 cwt. ($22/mt or $20/nt) since our last report a week ago, which brings the current average spot market price transaction range to $42.50-$43.50 cwt. ($937-$959/mt or $850-$870/nt), ex-mill. However, some sources close to SteelOrbis say that customers who are booking limited tons are paying up to $0.50 cwt. ($11/mt or $10/nt) higher.
Average ex-mill lead times are still trending between six and eight weeks, sources note. Many have started to question whether the market has reached its peak, or whether there is room for additional firming.
“Prices have been on an upswing since October of last year and while this is definitely a good thing, some customers are starting to be a bit more cautious with their inventory. A lot of people are wondering if things have topped out,” a source said. “It all depends on what happens with scrap next month.”
| Cwt. | Metric Ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week | |
| US domestic HDG base price | $35-$36 | $772-$794 | $700-$720 | neutral |
| 0.012”x40.875” G30 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $42-$44 | $926-$970 | $820-$880 | neutral |
| 0.019”x48” G90 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $42-$44 | $926-$970 | $840-880 | neutral |
| US domestic Galvalume base price | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $34-$36 | $750-$794 | $680-$720 | neutral |
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $42-$44 | $926-$970 | $840-880 | neutral |