US domestic hot dipped galvanized (HDG) steel producers have continued to push customers for higher prices; the most recent round of price increase announcements, which were announced by AK Steel, US Steel, AMUSA, CSI and NLMK USA have been absorbed by the marketplace.
The most commonly reported spot price transaction range for base-price hot dipped galvanized (HDG) coil has firmed by approximately $3.00 cwt. ($66/mt or $60/nt) since our last report a week ago, which brings the current average spot price transaction range to $34.50-$35.50 cwt. ($761-$783/mt or $690-$710/nt), ex-Midwest mill. Sources close to SteelOrbis, however, say deals closer to the bottom end of that transaction range are becoming fewer and farther between.
| Cwt. | Metric Ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week | |
| US domestic HDG base price | $34.50-$35.50 | $761-$783 | $690-$710 | up $3.00 cwt. |
| 0.012”x40.875” G30 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $41.00-$43.00 | $901-$948 | $820-$860 | up $2.00 cwt. |
| 0.019”x48” G90 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $40.00-$41.00 | $882-$901 | $800-$820 | up $3.00 cwt. |
| US domestic Galvalume base price | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $30.50-$32.00 | $673-$705 | $610-$640 | up $2.00 cwt. |
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $40.00-$41.00 | $882-$901 | $800-$820 | up $1.50 cwt. |
The big question as it relates to US HDG prices relates to how long the current price firming trend will last. There is already speculation that US domestic scrap prices will trend up during the May buy cycle, which has many market players speculating that HDG mills’ price increase letters “haven’t yet run out of steam.”