US domestic hot dipped galvanized (HDG) pricing has held, for the most part, stable since our last report a week ago, with only mild adjustments seen for a few products with coating extras.
With an abundance of steel having made its way into a soft-demand marketplace, pricing for a number of flat rolled products, including HDG, have continued to exhibit signs of softening. And while construction stats indicate signs of improvement, as one trader put it, "recovery will be weak at best". For now, however, buyers are expected to maintain their place of wait-and-see, and not inclined to book deals unless mills "give them a killer deal". Transaction range stability for coated products is likely to sustain until a point where buyers once again begin booking more significant tonnages, at which point deals and flexibility are sure to come into play.
The range for US domestic HDG base spot pricing has remained neutral since our last report a week ago, with offers continuing to be seen in the approximate range of $37.00 cwt. to $38.00 cwt. ($816/mt to $838/mt or $740/nt to $760/nt), ex-Midwest mills.
Transaction pricing for 0.012" x 40.875" G30 (0.30 mm x 1.04 m), though, softened by approximately $1.00 cwt. ($22/mt or $20/nt) since our last report, and offers are now being seen in the approximate range of $48.00 cwt. to $50.00 cwt. ($1,058/mt to $1,102/mt or $960/nt to $1,000/nt), ex-Midwest mills.
Offerings for 0.019" x 48" G90 (0.48 mm x 1.219 m), however, have once again remained neutral. Spot offers for this product continue to be reported in the approximate range of $46.50 cwt. to $48.50 cwt. ($1,025/mt to $1,069/mt or $930/nt to $970/nt), ex-Midwest mills.
Looking to Galvalume coil, domestic transaction prices have trended sideways since our last report and continues to be found in the approximate range of $38.00 cwt. to $40.00 cwt. ($838/mt to $882/mt or $760/nt to $800/nt), ex-Midwest mills.
The range for offers of Galvalume 0.019" x 41.5625" Gr80/AZ55, have also remained neutral, and offers for this product are still being reported in the approximate range of $50.00 cwt. to $51.00 cwt. ($1,102/mt to $1,124/mt or $1,000/nt to $1,040/nt), ex-Midwest mills.
Looking offshore, import offers out of India and China, for HDG 0.012" x 40.875" G30 (0.30 mm x 1.04 m) have continued to become more aggressive over the past couple weeks.
Import offers for HDG 0.012" x 40.875" G30 (0.30 mm x 1.04 m), out of India and China have softened by $2.00 cwt. ($44/mt or $40/nt) and $1.00 cwt. ($22/mt or $20/nt); respectively since last week, bringing import offers out of both countries for this product to a matching approximate price point of $47.00 cwt. to $49.00 cwt. ($1036/mt to $1,080/mt or $940/nt to $980/nt) FOB loaded truck US Gulf ports. While India has indicated a willingness to meet Chinese pricing so as to be par-on-par competitive, it's been reported, however, that China may be willing to offer additional deals in order to secure potential bookings.
Indian import offers for HDG 0.019" x 48" G90 (0.48 mm x 1.219 m), have decreased approximately $2.00 cwt. ($44/mt or $40/nt) from our last report, with offers now being reported in the approximate range of $47.00 cwt. to $49.00 cwt. ($1,036/mt to $1,080/mt or $940/nt to $980/nt), FOB loaded truck US Gulf ports. Chinese offers for this product have remained in the same range previously reported, and can still be seen in the approximate range of $46.00 cwt. to $48.00 cwt. ($1,014/mt to $1,058/mt or $920/nt to $960/nt), FOB loaded truck US Gulf ports. Pricing for this particular product, though, is not yet attractive enough to garner the interest of US traders.
Looking at Galvalume 0.019" x 41.4625" Gr80/AZ55p, import offers out of India and China have trended neutral since out last report a week ago. Offers for Galvalume 0.019" x 41.4625" Gr80/AZ55p out of both countries are now being offered at approximately $50.00 cwt. to $52.00 cwt. ($1,102/mt to $1,146/mt or $1,000/nt to $1,040/nt), FOB loaded truck US Gulf ports. As with galvanized products, it has been reported that China may be willing to negotiate.
Taiwan, though, has softened their pricing, decreasing offers by approximately $1.00 cwt. ($22/mt or $20/nt) so as to become more competitive with Indian and Chinese offerings. Import offers out of Taiwan for this product are now being offered at approximately $51.00 cwt. to $52.00 cwt. ($1,124/mt to $1,146/mt or $1,020/nt to $1,040/nt), FOB loaded truck US Gulf ports.