Last week, producers of
US domestic A-53 electric resistance welded (ERW) black plain end (BPE) Grade A standard pipe announced a $2.50 cwt. ($55/mt or $50/nt) price increase, effective immediately. Order activity and inquiries are still steady, but lacking luster, according to industry insiders, who say it’s still unclear whether the increase will be accepted. In the past few months the previous upward pricing trend for hot rolled coil (HRC) was speculated to be the only thing preventing standard pipe prices from softening; but with flat rolled prices slipping last week, standard pipe mills may have a hard time passing the increase onto customers. For now, the most commonly reported spot prices are unchanged in the past two weeks and remain in the approximate range of $45.00-$46.00 cwt. ($992-$1,014/mt or $900-$920/nt) ex-Midwest mill.
Meanwhile, new offers for import A-53 electric resistance welded (ERW) black plain end (BPE) Grade A standard pipe to the
US from Vietnamese mills are available in the same price range as their Korean counterparts. Offer prices out of both countries are in the approximate range of $39.50-$40.50 cwt. ($871-$893/mt or $790-$810/nt) DDP loaded truck in
US Gulf Coast ports, with Korean prices remaining on par with where they were two weeks ago. Trader sources continue to report that interest in booking imports remain weak due to slim margins, and this trend is not likely to change until
US domestic prices begin to firm.