US imports of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) fell in 2023 while line pipe imports rose slightly.
- OCTG imports fell by 8.2pc year-over-year but are still at the second-highest level in at least the last four years, according to data from the US Department of Commerce.
- Taiwan led the overall OCTG volume declines, down by 85,500t year over year, followed by a 70,800t drop from Mexico. Imports from Thailand more than doubled, increasing by 95,400t, while Canadian imports rose by 83,100t.
- Line pipe imports edged up by 0.3pc or more than 3,000 metric tonnes (t) from their 2022 levels and are up by 47pc compared with 2021 volumes.
- Turkey boosted its line pipe volumes into the US by 23,300t, nearly tripling its prior-year total, while Brazil more than doubled its volumes, increasing them by 22,400t.
- Structural pipe imports increased by 2.2pc in 2023 to 425,600t, a 9,300t increase.
- Mechanical pipe imports fell by 2.6pc to 613,400t, a 16,300t decline.
| US pipe and tube imports | metric tonnes | |||
| Product | 2023 | 2022 | Difference | ±% |
| OCTG | 2,215,080 | 2,412,983 | -197,903 | -8.2% |
| Line pipe | 1,027,734 | 1,024,371 | 3,363 | 0.3% |
| Standard | 756,060 | 827,491 | -71,431 | -8.6% |
| Heavy Structural Shapes | 686,668 | 723,676 | -37,008 | -5.1% |
| US Department of Commerce | ||||
