Despite languishing demand in the US for wide flange beams, distributors tell SteelOrbis that traders have been hinting at attractive import offers recently, entreating them to "stay tuned." Until then, import offers form Spain are still in the range of $34.00-$35.00 cwt. ($750-$772/mt or $680-$700/nt) DDP loaded truck to the Gulf Coast, while offers from Korea are roughly the same. Whether or not the imminent new import offers are too attractive to pass up remains to be seen, but sources tell SteelOrbis that even if they decide to place import orders, it won't be for substantial tonnages considering the end-use environment in the US.
Private commercial construction is seeing an uptick in activity, say distributors, but there is so much overcapacity in the real estate market that it will be a long time before "metropolitan areas are once again filled with cranes." However, the tepid demand has not resulted in US mills offering heavy discounts across the board to fill orders. So-called "super distributors" are still getting decent deals as they always have, but everyone else is paying more or less the published mill price of 37.25 cwt. ($821/mt or $745/nt) ex-mill for ASTM A992, W10 x 10, W18 x 6, and W24 x 7.