As in previous weeks, spot market prices for US domestic HDG and Galvalume have maintained their upward trajectory, and many sources close to SteelOrbis say they believe this trend will sustain through “at least the end of the third quarter.”
“Steel is flying out the door,” a source said. “At the service center level, no one can build any sort of appreciable inventory. People are calling us who haven’t called us in 5 years.”
Another source agreed, adding that long lead times have remained a challenge. Published HDG are trending at “at least 11+ weeks for HDG, and 12+ weeks for Galvalume coil.”
“The lead times have been extending and all of the mills have been ridiculously late delivering their orders,” he added. “The lead times you’re reading about are bogus. None of the mills are delivering on those time frames.”
Others say they feel that service centers need to recognize and adapt to this new paradigm as a means of mitigating financial losses when the market shifts. “We’re not trying to buy everything that’s not nailed down and instead, we’re being a bit more cautious,” a final source concluded. “Because we’ve all been through this and we’ve seen what happens on the other side, when prices have dropped as fast as they’ve run up.”
This week’s prices are listed in the chart below.
| Product | $/cwt | $/mt | $/nt | Last week | Delivery |
| US domestic HDG base price | $89-$91 | $1,962-$2,006 | $1,780-$1,820 | $88-$90 | ex-mill |
| 0.012” G30 HDG coil | $100+ | $2,205+ | $2,000+ | $99+ | ex-mill |
| US domestic Galvalume base price | $89-$91 | $1,962-$2,006 | $1,780-$1,820 | $88-$90 | ex-mill |
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | $100+ | $2,205+ | $2,000+ | $99+ | ex-mill |