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Forecasts and market analysis based on price assessments from Fastmarkets MB and Fastmarkets AMM

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Seamless OCTG & Linepipe Market Tracker

The new issue of the Market Tracker is now available.

You are now able to access this new issue in the Fastmarkets Dashboard. Here you will find:

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  • Compare latest and historical physical prices
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You can alternatively continue to access the Tracker until 2nd April 2024 from this page.

Seamless OCTG & Linepipe Market Tracker provides unrivalled and unique global market analysis, statistics and price forecasts in all the key markets and products across the seamless steel tube and pipe industry including OCTG and linepipe.

Latest Issue

  • Downloadable Excel Files: February 2024

    22 February 2024

    Downloadable Excel files with Fastmarkets MB research's pricing and other seamless steel tube statistics for the month of February 2024.

More analysis...

Seamless OCTG & Linepipe Market Tracker is the most complete and independent report to give you regular market analysis and price forecasting for the seamless steel tube & pipe industry.

Your monthly report includes:

  • Supply and demand analysis for the key markets in the Americas Asia, Europe/CIS and also Middle East/North Africa.
  • Tracking the premium OCTG markets in the main consuming regions.
  • Forecasts of regional price movements and the supporting analysis.
  • Analysis of key developments in seamless OCTG and linepipe in the Americas, Europe/CIS, MENA, and Asia.
  • Intelligence on activity by distributors and suppliers.
  • Information on all capacity changes and enhancements with insight into how these changes will affect market dynamics.
  • Data on trade flows and consumption patterns and their relation to the markets. Follow the major economic drivers of demand. 

Independent data including:

  • Seamless OCTG and linepipe prices with three-year history and one-year forecast for China, Japan, EU, USA, Middle East
  • North and South American apparent consumption of seamless pipe by product with extensive historical data.
  • Middle East/North Africa apparent consumption of seamless pipe by product with two-year history.
  • Asian seamless tube consumption data by product and major country.
  • European and CIS seamless tube apparent consumption data by product by major country.

All subscribers are eligible for regular individual consultations with the editor of the report.

      

Kim Leppold

Kim Leppold is a Senior Metals Analyst for Metal Bulletin Research. She is principally responsible for analysis of the North American steel markets and the global tube and pipe markets. She is editor of the Welded Linepipe & OCTG Market Tracker and Seamless OCTG & Linepipe Market Tracker. 

Kim joined MBR in 2005, following a six-year stint as an Economist for Global Insight. While with Global Insight, she was responsible for overseeing the analysis and forecasting of the economies of the Southwest central United States and consulted on projects concerning economic development issues in regions of Arkansas and West Virginia.
 
Prior to joining Global Insight, Ms. Leppold served as a consultant for the steel and energy industries, providing commodity market analysis. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications and a Master of Science in Mineral Economics from the Pennsylvania State University.


Market Brief


Seamless tubes and pipes are extruded from billet or ingot, and as such are produced from long products as opposed to the plate or coil flat products used to produce welded pipe. The majority of seamless tube and pipe producers are fully integrated in that they produce their own billet. Seamless tube and pipe is made to the specifications for grades that serve consuming markets including manufacturing, automotive/ aerospace, construction, structural, decorative, oil and gas drilling, oil, gas and water transmission, geological research, power generation and refineries.

The specifications for some uses can be extremely detailed and this type of pipe is rarely held in stock. It must be ordered months in advance with mill time set aside to produce the pipe. Depending on market fundamentals, lead times can span between 2-12 months. There is, however, an active distributor and service centre network to help keep the market flowing. 

Seamless Tube and Pipe Classifications

1. Seamless OCTG

Oil country tubular goods account for about 30% of seamless production and similar to welded OCTG, the pipes are made in accordance to the American Petroleum Institute API standards, or even exceed those standards. OCTG casing is used to protect the tubing, which runs inside the drilled hole, down to the oil or gas well. Tubing or lifting pipe runs down the middle of a well bringing liquid/ gas to the surface or injecting water into the well. Drill pipe (technically not considered OCTG)  is tube that is used to hold the drill bit or explosives.

The most common grades of OCTG are J/K55, N80 type 1 and type Q, L80 and P110. Any pipe above API 5CT N80 type Q must be heat treated. This is a limiting factor at many mills who lack heat treatment facilities or who do not have enough heat-treating capacity. 

2. Seamless Linepipe

Linepipe is classified as any tube or pipe that carries liquids or gas across land, including oil, natural gas, or water. The pipe is laid in a horizontal direction, a key difference between linepipe and OCTG material. Seamless pipes are generally more expensive and cannot be produced in large diameters. Therefore, the majority of linepipe on the market is welded.  Plastics and other composite materials have taken a portion of the linepipe market share, as the material is cost competitive.

The Oil and Gas industry is main consuming market of seamless linepipe. Grades for linepipe are similar to welded linepipe grades, ie  API 5L. Pipe is also often called triple certified, covering API 5L b, ASTM A53 and ASTM A106. Seamless linepipe is used in pressure piping systems by refineries, petrochemical plants, and chemical plants, power generation plants, and on-shore and off-shore applications for oil and gas in the form of separator lines, gathering lines, and metering runs. A minor application is as oil and gas distribution lines for commercial applications. In extreme environments and conditions, higher grades of linepipe are used, such as X80 and above.