Bulgaria's welded pipe prices have inched downwards over the past two weeks amid lower bids from overseas buyers and a sluggish domestic market. Construction activity remains quite low in Bulgaria, forcing producers of welded pipes to reduce domestic prices by €10-20/mt ($13-26/mt) over the past two weeks, while export quotations have declined by €10/mt ($13/mt) over the same period against a background of bearish sentiment in Europe.
Market players believe that price increases are unlikely in the coming period due to extremely weak demand and the aggressive pricing policies of other European suppliers.
Current offers of locally produced welded pipes and hollow sections of 2-5 mm wall thickness made from S235JR grade hot rolled coil (HRC) according to EN 10219 are being given to the Bulgarian domestic market at around €530-550/mt ($689-715/mt) ex-works, exclusive of 20 percent VAT and on theoretical weight basis.
Export quotations of Bulgarian ERW pipes and hollow sections of 2-5 mm wall thickness made from S235JR grade HRC as per EN 10219 are at the level of €490-500/mt ($637-650/mt) ex-works on theoretical weight basis for May production, and at €510-520/mt ($663-676/mt) ex-works for lots less than 1,000 mt. Export offers of similar Bulgarian pipes with wall thickness of 1.5 mm made from HRC as per EN 10219 are at around €520-550/mt ($676-715/mt) ex-works. Export quotations of Bulgarian water and gas pipes according to EN 10255 are at €510-530/mt ($663-689/mt) ex-works.
€1 = $1.30