Not much, if anything has changed in the past two weeks within the US domestic electric resistance welded (ERW) black plain end (BPE) Grade A standard pipe market. Last month, prices firmed by approximately $2.00 cwt. ($44/mt or $40/nt) on the heels of price increases for domestic hot rolled coil (HRC). But in recent weeks, HRC prices have started to tick down slowly, and many are wondering whether that trend will eventually trickle downstream to other steel products. On the flip side of that coin, US domestic scrap yards feel that a previous seen slide in domestic prices may have hit bottom (and if they haven’t, they will soon), which could help keep HRC prices from further eroding.
But for now, the US domestic standard pipe market is hanging tough, with the most commonly reported transaction range holding at approximately $47.00-$48.00 cwt. ($1,036-$1,058/mt or $940-$960/nt) ex-Midwest mill, while import prices from Taiwan and Vietnam continue to trend at $38.50-$39.50 cwt. ($849-$871/mt or $770-$790/nt) and $39.00-$40.00 cwt. ($860-$882/mt or $780-$800/nt), respectively, both DDP loaded truck in US Gulf Coast ports