Steel Pipe, Tube Prices Flat Entering November

US tubular prices appear to be settling across the board concurrent with moderating skelp prices and demand, market sources said Monday.

"Prices have firmed, but some more than others," one oil country tubular goods trader said.

Platts lowered its monthly domestic welded J55 OCTG casing assessment Monday from $1,185-1,235/st to $1,180-1,230/st and its imported assessment with comparable specifications from $1,085-1,135/st to $1,180-1,130/st.

"I believe prices are topping out," the trader said. "Bad news for the domestics, but all the drivers for upward prices are going the wrong way."

A service center executive said less-specialized varieties of pipe, like A500 structural and A53 standard pipe, aren't sensitive to skelp costs and have held relatively firm on the back of strong end-user demand. Platts lowered its monthly domestic A53 standard pipe price Monday from $920-930/st to $915-920/st and its imported A53 price from $835-845/st to $830-840/st.

"[The mills] strictly pivot on demand. They only worry about [the price] being competitive," he said. "That's their only concern."