The dam that had been blocking some imported steel products may not have been broken with a trade case finding against China, but enough cracks have developed that some U.S. steel traders are now speaking in more optimistic terms about the future, at least more cautiously optimistic.

"We're finally doing some business," one East Coast trader said. "We're starting to see some specialty items. People (U.S. customers) have some holes (in their inventories) that they need to fill."

The holes are somewhat the result of a recent anti-dumping duty order placed against Chinese imports of certain oil country tubular goods (OCTG) by the U.S. Commerce Department. In the wake of the ruling, announced earlier this month, other countries are...