Mexican domestic welded steel pipe prices closed at US$910/mt ex-mill this week, representing an increase of US$5/mt compared to the first week of April.
Meanwhile, structural steel tubing prices increased by US$20/mt in the last two weeks to reach US$859/mt.
Infrastructure projects are underway, or being tendered, for about US$12 billion by the federal government and Mexican industry for 6,000 km of line pipe required for the construction of pipelines and aqueducts. Among the tenders launched are Northwest pipelines and The Ramones (from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Apaseo el Alto, Guanajuato), and the aqueduct Monterrey VI. Domestic steel producers are asking the government to include at least 50 percent of domestic steel content in its infrastructure plans.
Until February, imports of welded pipes grew 94.2 percent (58,397 tons versus 30,063 tons of the same period of the previous year). In terms of currency, in the same comparative period imports grew 84 percent (US$93,973,645 against US$51,054,848).