After two weeks of upticks, US domestic hot dipped galvanized and Galvalume coil prices have started to level out, and sources are questioning how long the current price stability will last.
On Friday, SteelOrbis reported that domestic scrap prices had settled upward across all grades; this trend was supported by export activity, cold winter weather and strong domestic demand.
At current, flats mills have succeeded in pushing through their first price increase announcement; acceptance of the second $2.00 cwt. ($44/mt or $40/nt) increase has yet to be realized, although it could be argued that higher scrap prices coupled with lessened increase in booking offshore could lead to additional firming in the domestic market. Sources say they will continue to monitor the situation closely.
Current US HDG spot market prices are listed in the chart below.
| Product | $/cwt | $/mt | $/nt | Delivery | Weekly change |
| US domestic HDG base price | $41-$43 | $904-$948 | $820-$860 | ex-mill | neutral |
| US domestic Galvalume base price | $41-$43 | $904-$948 | $820-$860 | ex-mill | neutral |
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | $51-$53 | $1,124-$1,168 | $1,020-$1,060 | ex-mill | neutral |