Rig count update: US count dips, Canada flat

There were 582 drilling rigs operating in the US in the week ended Sept. 6, one less than in the week before. The oil and miscellaneous rig counts were stable at 483 and five, respectively, while gas rigs fell by one to 94.

There were 50 fewer active US rigs last week compared to the same week last year, with 30 fewer oil rigs, 19 fewer gas rigs, and one less miscellaneous rig.

Canada rigs

There were 220 active Canadian drilling rigs last week, unchanged from the prior week. Oil rigs fell by one to 152, gas rigs held steady at 67, and miscellaneous rigs increased to one.

There are currently 38 more Canadian rigs in operation than levels one year ago, with 39 more oil rigs, two fewer gas rigs, and one more miscellaneous rig.

International rig count

The international rig count is a monthly figure updated at the beginning of each month. The total number of active rigs for the month of August fell to 931, two less than the July count and 21 fewer than levels 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.