US domestic hollow structural sections (HSS)
tubing prices have showed signs of leveling since our last report two weeks ago; current spot market pricing, sources note, continues to hold at $46-$48 cwt. ($1014-$1058/mt or $920-$960/nt), ex-mill.
“Prices are holding,” one source notes, adding that demand is not robust, but steady. “It looks like the upward movement has come to a halt for the time being. I believe that we will see some jockeying for position in the weeks to come. Perhaps some very slim downward movement with certain accounts going into March.”
Market sources continue to cite optimism for the domestic steel industry due to policies that have been proposed by the Trump administration, including a proposed 20 percent tax on all goods imported from Mexico.
For the month of December, the US imported 5,687 mt (preliminary census data) of structural pipes and tubes from Mexico, and 10,299 mt (preliminary census data) from Korea. It is still unclear what policies the Trump administration might implement with regards to imported steel from Southeast Asia.