[ferro-alloys.com]US flat-rolled steel prices saw little change to start the week Monday as hot-rolled coil prices continued to display the most strength, according to market feedback.

There is some softness on the CRC side of the market, a domestic trader said, however, he was not expecting prices to fall back very far. He put current CRC offers between $980-$1,020/st, depending on the mill.

"I don't see prices slipping because I don't think mills are out there looking for orders," the trader said. "I think the order books are healthy. You might get a deal if you're buying 1,000 st, 2,000 st, but mills don't seem to be shopping price reductions around."

A service center source said he was expecting CRC prices to stay around $1,000/st and did not expect the market to "[fall] off a cliff," as inventories remain lean. Additionally, current CRC import offers are not very competitive, buyers said, which should help to stop domestic prices from seeing much of a drop.

"Import offers are picking up, but the best value is on the coated side of the market," the domestic trader said. "There are CRC offers, but they are not competitive enough to get people interested."

Light-gauge galvanized imports are the most appealing product at the moment in regards to imports, he said.

Domestic hot-dipped galvanized prices have remained fairly steady in recent weeks, source said. Current base pricing for domestic galvanized substrate is around $1,010-$1,040/st, excluding coating extras, the domestic trader said.

The weekly Platts TSI US HDG price assessment was calculated at $1,102/st Monday, up $2.75/st on week. The price includes a G90 coating weight extra.

The combined Platts TSI price index uses a volume-weighted average calculation -- according to TSI's standard -- to determine value on an ex-works Indiana basis.

• [Editor:王可]