After initially drawing some skepticism that they would be able to sell X52 line pipe in the United States at $1,300 per ton or higher, South Korean suppliers have been able to win orders at prices as high as $1,340 per ton, according to deals confirmed by Fastmarkets AMM.
The Korean suppliers will have no trouble selling out volumes equal to the Section 232 quota for arrival at US docks in the first quarter of 2019, even at the high prices, according to one southern distributor who explained that some distributors feel more urgency to secure material than to win discounts. That distributor said the recent US trade case against imports of welded pipe from six nations also is causing some worry.
"That's basically the domestic price," a southern distributor said. "The Koreans, by the end of November, will be...
