Stable trend sustains for US domestic and import OCTG prices

Wednesday, 06 February 2013 23:34:22 (GMT+3)   |   San Diego
       

Spot prices for US domestic finished J55 electric resistance welded (ERW) oil country tubular goods (OCTG) casing have held steady in the past week, although flexibility beyond the average transaction range is still available for buyers interested in booking larger tonnages. The most commonly reported spot price range is still $61.00-$62.00 cwt. ($1,345-$1,366/mt or $1,220-$1,240/nt) ex-Midwest mill, although deals as much as $5.00-$6.00 cwt. ($100-$132/mt or $100-$120/nt) below this range are available through some distributors, a trend which has sustained since late December. Industry insiders say inquiries and order activity continue to remain light, as customers keep tight inventory levels and only place orders as-needed. 

Looking offshore, offer prices from Korea, Taiwan, India and Vietnam are unchanged in the past week and are still in the approximate range of $44.00-$45.00 cwt. ($970-$992/mt or $880-$900/nt) DDP loaded truck in US Gulf ports.  Trader sources say they continue to hear rumblings about a potential anti-dumping suit against Korea, although some have begun to question whether this is just another round of "crying wolf."  There have been at least three rumored definitive filing dates for this case since mid-September of last year, all of which have since come and gone.  At the current time, Korea continues to be the largest offshore importer of unfinished OCTG to the US. US Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis (SIMA) data show that Korea was largest offshore supplier for OCTG in the US in January with 97,792 mt based on license data. The second largest offshore importer during that time was Saudi Arabia with 25,296 mt.

Similar articles

Chinese steel pipe export offer prices edge down slightly

27 Mar | Tube and Pipe

US HSS prices revise downward yet again due to soft HRC prices

25 Mar | Tube and Pipe

US structural pipe and tube exports down 41.7 percent in January

22 Mar | Steel News

Chinese steel pipe export offer prices fluctuate within limited range

20 Mar | Tube and Pipe

US structural pipe and tube imports up 13.6 percent in January

19 Mar | Steel News

US mechanical tubing imports up 17.6 percent in January

18 Mar | Steel News

Chinese steel pipe export offer prices move down further

13 Mar | Tube and Pipe

US HSS prices

12 Mar | Tube and Pipe

US HSS prices steady after last week’s drop

07 Mar | Tube and Pipe

Finished US domestic J55 ERW OCTG casing spot market price range

06 Mar | Tube and Pipe