Active rig counts slip in US and Canada

The active US drill rig count declined by six this week to 613. Oil rigs decreased by five to 506, gas rigs decreased by one to 105, and miscellaneous rigs held steady at two. There are 142 fewer active US rigs compared to this time last year: oil rigs are down by 85, gas rigs are down by 56, and miscellaneous rigs are down by one.

Canada rig count

The number of operating oil and gas rigs in Canada declined by nine to 118 this week. Oil rigs fell by four to 56 this week, while gas rigs declined by five to 62. Drilling activity is up by 25 compared to this time last year, with the number of active oil rigs up by 20 and gas rigs up by five.

International rig count

The international rig count is updated monthly. The total number of active rigs for the month of March rose to a four-month high of 971, up 13 from February and up 41 from one year prior.

The Baker Hughes rig count is important to the steel industry because it is a leading indicator of demand for oil country tubular goods (OCTG), a key end market for steel sheet. A rotary rig rotates the drill pipe from the surface to either drill a new well or sidetrack an existing one. For a history of the US and Canadian rig counts, visit the rig count page on our website.