Spot market prices for US domestic HDG coil have ticked downward yet again. Current prices, however, are “nearly level” with prices reported during the first week of 2019, when the average spot market HDG coil base-price was hovering at $41.00 cwt. ($904/mt or $820/nt), ex-mill.
Base HDG prices peaked in late July 2018, at an average of $51.00 cwt. ($1,124/mt or $1,020/nt), ex-mill, but have been sliding downward ever since.
And while US flats mills succeeded in pushing prices higher temporarily, between late February and mid-April this year, after announcing a series of price increase announcements, those higher price points did not have sticking power.
This week’s dip, sources note, has not been helped by the forecast downward trend in US scrap prices during the May buy-cycle. Although scrap trading has not yet concluded, it’s widely held that shredded and HMS I scrap will settle down by $30/gt once trading activity concludes.
Current US HDG spot market prices are listed in the chart below.
| Product | $/cwt | $/mt | $/nt | Delivery | Weekly change |
| US domestic HDG base price | $39.50-$41.50 | $871-$915 | $790-$830 | ex-mill | down $0.50 cwt. |
| US domestic Galvalume base price | $39.50-$41.50 | $871-$915 | $790-$830 | ex-mill | down $0.50 cwt. |
| 0.019x41.5625 Gr80/AZ55 | $49.50-$51.50 | $1,091-$1,135 | $990-$1,030 | ex-mill | down $0.50 cwt. |