US domestic HDG and Galvalume coil prices have climbed, once again, as buyers note that lead times are still long and availability remains tight. Current lead times, sources note, are hovering at 12 weeks.
While some service centers say they’ve been more willing to build inventory and “take risks,” with the assumption that steel prices will continue to rise through the end of the year, others are being more cautious. “If we haven’t already sold it to a customer, we aren’t buying it,” a Southeast-based source added.
On the other hand, the reluctance of most buyers to stock and build inventory could be continuing the self-perpetuating cycle of price firming. “What’s happened in the past, is that when buyers saw prices going up, they stocked up, and once they got their steel, buyers would step back from the market because they had inventory,” a source said. “But what’s happening now, is a lot of people are a lot less willing to take inventory positions. Since demand isn’t pulling back, this cycle of higher prices is continuing.”
And while sources have confirmed that prices are “all over the map,” the below chart represents this week’s most commonly heard ranges.
| Product | $/cwt | $/mt | $/nt | Last week | Delivery |
| US domestic HDG base price | $95-$98 | $2,094-$2,161 | $1,900-$1,960 | $94-$96 | ex-mill |
| 0.012” G30 HDG coil | $106+ | $2,337+ | $2,120 | $105+ | ex-mill |
| US domestic Galvalume base price | $95-$98 | $2,094-$2,161 | $1,900-$1,960 | $94-$96 | ex-mill |
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | $106+ | $2,337+ | $2,120 | $105+ | ex-mill |