The expectation that US domestic hot dipped galvanized (HDG) and Galvalume spot prices will remain soft through at least the month of June, if not longer, has made booking from offshore not a viable option for most US buyers. While price drops in the last couple weeks have sparked a few select orders, it's doubtful that futures prices from China, India or Taiwan have bottomed yet--orders from US customers have been marginal for a few months now and domestic demand in the regions is also stagnant.
Once futures prices do hit a perceived bottom or US domestic spots stabilize, traders sources tell SteelOrbis they anticipate an influx of orders; but until then, traders and potential buyers remain in a waiting game. Mexico, meanwhile, continues to be hyper-aggressive in making deals to get orders, and with substantially less lead-time risk associated with a Mexican order as opposed to one placed overseas, activity south of the border remains decent. Currently, Mexican HDG 0.012"x40.875" G30 sales prices in the US are $43.00-$44.00 cwt. ($948-$970/mt or $860-$880/nt) DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports.
| Import HDG offers to the US | Cwt. | Metric ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week |
| 0.012"x40.875" G30 | ||||
| India* | $44-$45 | $970-$992 | $880-$900 | neutral |
| China* | $44-$45 | $970-$992 | $880-$900 | neutral |
| Mexico** | $43-$44 | $948-$970 | $860-$880 | neutral |
| 0.019" x 48" G90 | ||||
| China* | $45-$46 | $992-$1,014 | $900-$920 | neutral |
| India* | $45-$46 | $992-$1,014 | $900-$920 | neutral |
| Import Galvalume offers to the US | ||||
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | ||||
| Taiwan* | $48-$49 | $1,058-$1,080 | $960-$980 | neutral |
| Mexico** | $45-$47 | $992-$1,036 | $900-$940 | neutral |
| China* | $46-$47 | $1,014-$1,036 | $920-$940 | neutral |
*DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports
**DDP loaded truck delivered into Houston