The most recent data from the US Department of Commerce show that for the month of July, the US imported 128,280 mt (license data) of standard pipe from global sources. This is an uptick from June, when the US imported 84,597 mt (census data), and it is also up year-over-year; in July 2016 the US imported 45,231 mt of standard pipe from global sources.
Market activity within the US remains light but steady, sources add, noting that the recent “indefinite delay” of the Section 232 investigation has “lent calmness to the market.”
In terms of current domestic prices, most commonly heard spot price transaction range for US domestic Grade A ERW BPE continues to remain stable, at $46-$48 cwt. ($1014-$1058/mt or $920-$960/nt), ex-mill; although sources close to SteelOrbis report that an increasing number of transactions are taking place at the top end of that range.
The price firming is attributed to recent strength in US HRC prices.