Concerns that US domestic line pipe mills will continue to push for higher prices has tapered in the past week. The revised expectation is largely tied to this week's announcement by the US DOC, in which Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross indicated the department will be looking into whether US mills have begun to engage in predatory price practices, and whether they are holding back inventory as a means of pushing spot market prices higher.
For now, US domestic API X-52 line pipe prices are stable, at $71.25-$73.75 cwt. ($1571-$1626/mt or $1425-1475/nt) ex-mill. Although some believe that US line pipe prices will remain steady in the absence of additional upticks in US HRC pricing, others say that import quotas, combined with steady, strong demand, could still keep prices on an upward trajectory.