Welded pipe prices offered to foreign customers by Bulgarian producers have been softening further in May. Slack buying activity in the both local and export markets along with cheaper import flat steel products has forced Bulgarian pipe makers to cut their export offers by €10/mt over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, buyers still cautious about purchasing large volumes of material in view of the continuous downtrend of prices. Most market players believe that prices for welded pipes will depend on raw material price fluctuations in the short term, as buying is not expected to speed up until September.
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 €585-590/mt ($750-755/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 €550-560/mt ($705-717/mt) ex-works on theoretical weight basis for May-June production. Offers of similar Bulgarian pipes with wall thickness of 1.5 mm made from HRC as per EN 10219 are at around €580-590/mt ($743-755/mt) ex-works for May-June rolling. Export quotations of Bulgarian water and gas pipes according to EN 10255 are at €570-580/mt ($730-743/mt) ex-works.
€1 = $1.281