The most commonly reported spot price transaction range for A53 electric resistance weld (ERW) black plain end (BPE) standard pipe may have trended sideways since our last report two weeks ago, at $42.50-$43.50 cwt. ($937-$959/mt or $850-$870/nt) ex-Midwest mill, but sources close to SteelOrbis say that there continues to be a lot of “name your price” going on when it comes to making offers. “Things are still pretty hairy out there,” according to one Midwest-based source. “Mills’ input costs are still down, and if they can make an order work, they’ll make it work.”
Futures offers from
Korea,
Turkey and
Vietnam, however, have been a bit quiet as of recent, although trader sources have said the previous range of $33.00-$35.00 cwt. ($728-$772/mt or $660-$700/nt) DDP loaded truck
US Gulf Coast ports, is still on the table. But as with domestics, there is likely some flexibility in those numbers based on the size and scope of the order.