The US import hot dipped galvanized (HDG) market has been mostly quiet in the last week, with very little activity taking place, as the majority of US buyers are not willing to risk of an offshore order--which wouldn't arrive until April and even May/early June from Taiwanese mills. The bulk of import orders are being placed with Mexican mills, whose offer prices of certain HDG and Galvalume products (see below chart) are about $5.00-$7.00 cwt. ($110-$154/mt or $100-$140/nt) below US domestic spot prices--enough of a spread to keeping US buyers interested.
But while there is little-to-no interest in offers from offshore, that isn't stopping HDG mills in China, India and Taiwan from increasing their prices. New offer prices for the US, anticipated later this week, are expected to be about $1.00-$1.50 cwt. ($22-$33/mt or $20-$30/nt) higher than current prices. The increases are not a reflection of any surge in domestic demand or raw material costs at the offshore mills, according to SteelOrbis sources, but are rather mills' attempts to collect higher prices in light of the US domestic market's current uptrend.
| Import HDG offers to the US | Cwt. | Metric ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week |
| 0.012"x40.875" G30 | ||||
| India* | $46-$47 | $1,014-$1,036 | $920-$940 | neutral |
| China* | $46-$47 | $1,025-$1,047 | $930-$950 | neutral |
| Mexico** | $45-$47 | $992-$1,036 | $900-$940 | neutral |
| 0.019" x 48" G90 | ||||
| China* | $47-$48 | $1,036-$1,058 | $940-$960 | neutral |
| India* | $46-$47 | $1,014-$1,036 | $920-$940 | neutral |
| Taiwan* | $49-$50 | $1,080-$1,102 | $980-1,000 | neutral |
| Import Galvalume offers to the US | ||||
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | ||||
| Taiwan* | $48-$49 | $1,058-$1,080 | $960-$980 | neutral |
| Mexico** | $47-$49 | $1,036-$1,080 | $940-$980 | neutral |
| China* | $47.50-$48.50 | $1,047-$1,069 | $1,047-$1,069 | neutral |
**DDP loaded truck delivered into Houston