According to Dec. 6 data from the US Department of Commerce, for the month of October, the US imported 89,091 mt (census data) of line pipe from global sources. In contrast, the US imported 113,274 mt of line pipe to US ports in October 2015.
In October 2016, the most significant source of US import line pipe was Korea, at 44,769 mt (census data); the second most significant offshore source of US import line pipe during that same reporting period was Greece, at 11,558 mt (census data).
In terms of import offer pricing, that has firmed by $1.00 cwt. ($22/mt or $20/nt) on the top end since our last report a week ago. Current import API-X42 ERW line pipe pricing in the US domestic market from Korea is now being heard at $30-$32 cwt. ($661-$705/mt or $600-$640/nt), DDP loaded truck in US Gulf coast ports. Deals toward the lower end of that range, sources say “are disappearing fast.”