Prices for galvanized steel sheet rose in the United States for the first time in four weeks after the latest round of price-increase notifications from producers. Prices for cold-rolled coil held steady.
Market participants were cautiously optimistic about a rebound in industrial demand as pandemic-related closures subside in most regions. Cold roll will underperform until there is more evidence that automakers will sell enough vehicles to procure sufficient steel volumes, they said. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-dipped galvanized coil (base), fob mill US climbed to $34.50 per hundredweight ($690 per short ton) on Thursday May 28 from $34 per cwt on Thursday May 21. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel cold-rolled coil, fob mill US, was unchanged at $34 per cwt on Thursday. Lead times were reported at mostly four to six weeks for cold roll and five to...