Tag: HARDI

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.

The galvanized steel market isn't surging anymore; it's grinding.

Galvanized sheet buyers and distributors report that strong demand and constrained supply persist, exerting upward pressure on prices.

Galvanized steel buyers and distributors expect tightening supply and rising price pressure to last into summer.

Participants in the galvanized steel market remain encouraged by strengthening product prices, even as increases unfold at a subdued pace.  

The galvanized sheet market continued to tighten in March as distributors and service centers reported firm demand, low inventory levels, and rising transportation costs. Participants on the monthly HARDI sheet metal and air-handling call on Wednesday described a market defined by constrained supply and steady upward pricing pressure.

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

The galvanized steel market has kicked off the year with a firmer tone, marked by rising prices, lengthening lead times, and a noticeable shift in buyer sentiment. Service centers and distributors on HARDI’s latest sheet metal and coil handling council call described a market that is not overheating but steadily tightening.

There was a palpable sense of optimism among folks at the HARDI conference about demand from data centers. In other words, around the physical infrastructure – which also includes energy transmission - needed to feed the AI boom. The big question: Could demand from data and AI be far stronger than the market yet realizes?

Participants on this month’s Heating Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council call expect galvanized steel base prices to firm up in the first quarter of 2026.  

Half of the participants on this month's Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council call expect galvanized steel base prices to remain flat at ~$48 per hundredweight ($960/short ton) for the next 30 days.

Galvanized steel prices dipped to ~$48/hundredweight in August from the $50-59/hundredweight range during the month of July.  

Galvanized steel prices ping-ponged in the $50/hundredweight range during the month of July, settling in at roughly the same position as in June.

“It was a little more of a seller's market as contractors seemed to be protecting themselves against a potential run up in prices," one buyer said.

Participants on the HARDI Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council call said underlying demand is solid but there are slower pockets in some markets.

Demand is up, but tariffs raise concerns

One buyer summed up the prevailing sentiment: “Everything is pointing up — pricing, sentiment, order activity. But the real test will come once the immediate reactionary buying subsides. Will there be enough true demand to support these levels through mid-year? That’s the big unknown.”

Reflecting on 2024 and looking ahead to the new year, galvanized steel buyers on this month’s HARDI call expressed a mix of cautious optimism with lingering uncertainties.

Domestic galvanized prices remain relatively rangebound despite the conclusion of the US presidential election.

The theme of “unprecedented stability” in pricing predominated among galvanized steel buyers this month.

Galvanized steel buyers on Tuesday discussed the eerie stability in sheet prices of late. Expectations are for the murky market to persist in the short term, while glimmers of hope continue for prices pushing higher.

Swampy. Sticky. Mushy. Murky. These were all words galvanized buyers used this week to describe the current state of the US steel market.

Galvanized prices have fallen precipitously from a month ago, though many market participants think a bottom is in sight.

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have just over two months left to reach a new labor agreement and avoid a strike at all Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports. However, with talks still suspended, ILA’s president says a strike looks more likely with each passing day.

It was great to have Gary Stein, CEO of Triple-S Steel, join SMU for a Community Chat earlier this week. (Btw, you can find a record of the webinar here.) We covered a lot of ground. From Andrew Carnegie and the Johnstown Flood to the current steel market and the state of domestic manufacturing broadly speaking. One thing that stuck with me was how unevenly construction spending appears to be on “green” initiatives and other key items funded by infrastructure spending, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS Act.

Galvanized prices have tumbled from a month ago, and many market participants expect that trend to continue in July.

Prices for galvanized products have fallen from last month, and many market participants expect tags to continue their descent or at best remain flat in the month ahead.

Galvanized buyers reported steady demand and ample supply this week as pricing momentum has shifted, potentially pointing down. Service centers, distributors, and manufacturers who are members of the Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) association met virtually on Tuesday, April 23, for the monthly meeting of HARDI’s Sheet Metal/Air Handling Council. Sentiment was noticeably […]

Galvanized buyers reported solid demand and balanced inventories this week and were anticipating the sheet price increase announced by Cleveland-Cliffs on Wednesday.

Sheet prices have fallen again this week on shorter lead times, higher imports, and potentially higher inventories. (We’ll see for sure when we release our service center shipment and inventory data next week.) I remember reporting almost exactly the same thing about a month ago and getting a fair amount of pushback. Not so much these days.