Canada Launches Trade Case Against Mexican OCTG

The CBSA, which initiated its investigation on June 30, will make a preliminary decision within 90 days as to whether OCTG from Mexico is being dumped – at which point provisional duties might take effect.

The CBSA defines OCTG as casing, tubing and “green tubes.” The trade case targets both seamless and welded OCTG, carbon and alloy material, as well as both heat-treated and non-heat-treated product.

Green tubes refer to unfinished OCTG that is exported from Mexico and finished elsewhere. Such products made in Mexico and finished in Canada would be subject to the trade action.

Green tubes exported to a third country before re-export to Canada are not included in the probe. Also excluded from the investigation is drill pipe, pup joints, couplings, coupling stock and stainless OCTG.

OCTG is used to extract oil and natural gas from underground wells. Welded OCTG, which is made from welded sheet steel, is a key end market for hot-rolled coil.

Steel Market Update (SMU) does not carry a price for welded OCTG. But OCTG prices generally follow coil prices on a lag.

SMU’s benchmark hot-rolled coil prices stands at $1,770 per ton ($88.50 per ton), up 9.2% from $1,620 per ton a month ago and up nearly 80% from $985 per ton at the beginning of the year. See SMU’s interactive pricing tool.

By Michael Cowden, Michael@SteelMarketUpdate.com