Not much, if anything, has changed in the past two weeks when it comes to prices, order activity and inquiries within the US domestic A-53 electric resistance welded (ERW) black plain end (BPE) Grade A standard pipe market. Two weeks ago, it was suspected that a price increase announcement could be on the horizon, but as of yet, mills have not distributed any such letter. Although the most commonly reported ex-mill spot price transaction range has held neutral, at $45.00-$46.00 cwt. ($992-$1,014/mt or $900-$920/nt), those interested in booking larger orders may encounter some flexibility within that range.
Meanwhile, trader sources have confirmed seeing a similar flexibility when it comes to offshore offer prices for A-53 ERW BPE standard pipe from Vietnam and Taiwan. Although Vietnamese prices continue trend in the approximate range of $37.50-$38.50 cwt. ($827-$849/mt or $750-$770/mt DDP loaded truck in US Gulf Coast ports, and Taiwanese offers are still at approximately $0.50 cwt. ($11/mt or $10/nt) below that range, those looking to book larger orders may be able to negotiate deals. Offshore import tonnages, from these two countries, however, continue to be less than exciting. For the month of March, the most recent Steel Monitoring Import and Analysis (SIMA) data shows that US standard pipe import tonnages from Vietnam and Taiwan came in at 2,529 mt (license data) and 147.9 mt (license data), respectively.