The US domestic hot dipped galvanized (HDG) coil price range widened in the last week, expanding $0.50 cwt. ($11/mt or $10/nt) on both the low and high ends of the range. This week, US HDG coil is being offered at $67.00-$69.00 cwt. ($1,477-$1,521/mt or $1,340-$1,380/nt) FOB mill, compared to $67.50-$68.50 cwt. ($1,488-$1,510/mt or $1,350-$1,370/nt), FOB mill last week.
Sources tell SteelOrbis that current price levels might represent the “top of the bell curve,” as most market players expect HDG prices to trend back down. As a result, buyers are not currently stocking heavily on HDG products, with many keeping their eyes on the scrap trend for May.
Current mill lead times for domestic HDG are around 8-9 weeks.