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    HARDI: Galv market conditions signal firmer terrain in 2026

    Written by Kristen DiLandro


    The galvanized steel market is navigating price increases and longer lead times with a surer footing than in prior months.  

    Participants on this month’s Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council call said production hiccups, which limited supplies and created timing changes, sent prices skyward. Consensus among the callers seemed to be that bullish conditions that had been on the horizon had gone direct and weren’t settling down into bearish territory any time soon.  

    Kristen DiLandro

    Read more from Kristen DiLandro

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    Galvanized buyers report severe supply strain

    Service centers and manufacturers on the Sept. 15 HARDI Sheet Metal and Air Handling Council call described a tight, seller-driven market. Lead times are long, deliveries are late, inventories are thin, imports are down, and demand is strong, causing a shortage of galvanized material. SMU regularly joins the council’s meetings to discuss the galvanized sheet market. Participants — members of Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) — are wholesalers, service centers, distributors, and manufacturers who buy or sell galvanized steel.