As the year starts to wind down, sources tell SteelOrbis that many buyers are setting their sights on 2014, in which demand is projected to increase by at least 10 percent. Many buyers are already starting to position themselves to place some major tonnage for the coming year, and a good portion of those orders will likely come from overseas thanks to attractive offers on Chinese and Indian hot dipped galvanized (HDG), which have remained soft this week following a dip in raw material prices.
Chinese and Indian HDG import offers for 0.019" x 48" G90 are holding steady in the general range of $41.00-$42.00 cwt. ($903-$925/mt or $820-$840/nt) DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports. Chinese and Indian offers for HDG 0.012”x40.875” G30 coil are also stable this week at about $41.00-$42.00 cwt. ($903-$925/mt or $820-$840/nt) DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports. Offer prices from other import sources are also unchanged this week, but sources tell SteelOrbis that even with these attractive offers, overall booking activity is quiet at the moment because most warehouses are stocked. However, import interest is expected to increase near the end of the year because demand is expected to climb next quarter.
| Import HDG offers to the US | Cwt. | Metric ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week |
| 0.012”x40.875” G30 | ||||
| China* | $41-$42 | $903-$925 | $820-$840 | neutral |
| India* | $41-$42 | $903-$925 | $820-$840 | neutral |
| 0.019" x 48" G90 | ||||
| China* | $41-$42 | $903-$925 | $820-$840 | neutral |
| India* | $41-$42 | $903-$925 | $820-$840 | neutral |
| Import Galvalume offers to the US | ||||
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | ||||
| China* | $43.50-$44.50 | $959-$981 | $870-$890 | neutral |
| India* | $43-$44 | $948-$970 | $860-$880 | neutral |
| Mexico** | $44-$46 | $970-$1,014 | $880-$920 | neutral |
| Taiwan* | $43.50-$44.50 | $959-$981 | $870-$890 | neutral |
| *DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports | ||||
| *DDP loaded truck delivered into Houston | ||||