Florida and Houston continue to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, and while it’s not believed the US steel market will see an immediate uptick in activity, demand for US domestic hot dipped galvanized (HDG) coil could get a bump in the months to come.
“We expect to see some increases in demand out of the construction sector once people start to rebuild, but that probably won’t hit until early next year, after people start to get their insurance checks,” a source said.
In terms of the immediate price forecast, that remains neutral, although some trader sources have said they believe that recent upticks in global steel pricing could potentially push US prices higher.
“There’s no way the world market goes up as much as it had but the US remains stable,” another source said.
Others have said they’re skeptical of that analysis, adding that current lead times, which are trending between 6 and 10 weeks, are unlikely to support price firming.
Today’s price points for US HDG coil are listed in the chart below.
| Cwt. | Metric Ton (mt) | Net ton (nt) | Change from last week | |
| US domestic HDG base price | $39.50-$41.00 | $871-$904 | $790-$820 | neutral with deals |
| 0.012”x40.875” G30 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $47-$49 | $1036-$1080 | $940-$980 | neutral with deals |
| 0.019”x48” G90 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $47-$49 | $1036-$1080 | $940-$980 | neutral with deals |
| US domestic Galvalume base price | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $39.50-$41.00 | $871-$904 | $790-$820 | neutral with deals |
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | ||||
| ex-Midwest mill | $47-$49 | $1036-$1080 | $940-$980 | neutral with deals |