Weak reality vs. strong expectations: Analysis of the price trend of galvanized coil in the second quarter of 2026

In the second quarter of 2026, the national galvanized coil market entered the core stage of a deep game between "weak reality" and "strong expectations". Looking back at the first quarter, the inertia of sluggish market recovery continued, and substantial improvements on both the supply and demand sides had not yet materialized. The industry still faced practical pressures such as high inventory levels and weaker-than-expected demand release.

Driven by cost factors, galvanized coil may perform relatively strongly in April

In March 2026, the domestic galvanized coil market exhibited a seasonal recovery. Following the Spring Festival, downstream enterprises resumed work and production in a concentrated manner, coupled with the onset of the traditional peak demand season known as the "Golden March", leading to a marked improvement in the market supply and demand dynamics compared to February.

South Korea makes preliminary anti-dumping ruling on China's galvanized cold-rolled steel

On April 16, 2026, the Korea Trade Commission issued Announcement No. 2026-8, making an affirmative preliminary anti-dumping ruling on galvanized cold-rolled steel originating in China, and recommended that the Ministry of Strategy and Finance of South Korea impose provisional anti-dumping duties on the affected products.

Expansion tide of galvanized coil production capacity: industry dilemma under supply-demand imbalance

As the development of multiple varieties in the steel industry has reached a bottleneck, many steel mills have shifted their focus to cold-rolled products in recent years, continuously adding production lines across the country.

The price of galvanized coil is on the rise nationwide, with a general willingness to replenish stocks before the holiday (April 24-30)

This week, the prices of galvanized steel coils nationwide have shown an upward trend. Driven by the increase in hot coil prices, production enterprises have faced higher raw material procurement costs, necessitating an active increase in the ex-factory prices of galvanized steel coils.

The inventory of galvanized and color-coated steel coils continues to increase slightly, with prices fluctuating upwards

According to the inventory data of coated and galvanized coil warehouses in key domestic cities monitored by this website, as of May 8th, the social inventory of galvanized coil was 1.5581 million tons, a decrease of 13,500 tons from the previous period, with a decrease rate of 0.86%; the inventory of color-coated coil was 332,500 tons, a decrease of 4,100 tons from the previous period, with a decrease rate of 1.22%.