US line pipe prices were broadly flat in August, with an uptick in domestic products offsetting a slight decline in import prices. The Argus line pipe index rose by 0.2% in August from the prior month to $2,557/short ton (st), breaking a two month slide in the index. The Argus US domestic line pipe index rose by $18/st to $2,854/st, driven by increasing seamless prices. The Argus US HRC index fell by 4.5% during August to end the month at $832.50/st ex-works. The Argus import line pipe index fell by 0.4% to $2,259/ st, with seamless declines outweighing welded gains. The Argus distributors sentiment was flat at a neutral reading of 49, and the price outlook plunged by 25 points to a negative reading of 34. Domestic line pipe shipments dropped to 16,678st in July from 24,544st in June. The US benchmark oil price average for August was down by $3.22/bl from a month earlier to $64.02/bl. The average price for natural gas in August was $2.89/mnBtu, down from $3.30/mnBtu a month earlier. The US rig count fell to 536 for the week ending 29 August, down by four from the beginning of the month.