With most domestically produced line pipe in the US attached to drilling projects, there isn't much spot market buying activity taking place. And with import prices substantially below US domestic API X-42 electric resistance welded (ERW) line pipe spot prices, which remain between $62.00-$63.00 cwt. ($1,367-$1,389/mt or $1,240-$1,260/nt) ex- mill, many US buyers are opting for on-the-ground imports being sold off by traders to fulfill any spot needs. Heavy levels of imported line pipe have been hitting US ports so far this month--US Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data show 170,350 mt (license data) of line pipe arriving in the US as of January 24, compared to 121,699 mt (preliminary census data) in December and 136,405 mt (census data) in November.
Current import line pipe activity is much quieter, however, in part due to many already having placed offshore orders late last year. Regardless, Korean and Indian API X-42 ERW line pipe offers are still available and still range from $47.50-$48.50 cwt. ($1,047-$1,069/mt or $950-$970/nt), and $46.50-$47.00 cwt. ($1,025-$1,036/mt or $930-$940/nt), both DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports.