The Bulgarian welded pipe market has not indicated any strengthening over the past two weeks. Bulgarian pipe producers are keeping their prices stable, while demand remains slack due to the weak fundamentals in the construction sector.
Meanwhile, market participants expect buying activity to increase slightly in the second half of November ahead of the Christmas holidays. However, the market is unlikely to see a sharp rebound in welded pipe prices as the approaching winter season should bring about the traditional slowdown in construction activity in Europe.
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 €560-565/mt ($717-723/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 €500-520/mt ($640-666/mt) ex-works on theoretical weight basis for November production, and at €530-540/mt ($678-691/mt) ex-works for lots less than 1,000 mt. Offers of similar Bulgarian pipes with wall thickness of 1.5 mm made from HRC as per EN 10219 are at around €530-550/mt ($678-704/mt) ex-works for November rolling for lots of over 1,000 mt and at €560-570/mt ($717-730/mt) ex-works for small orders. Export quotations of Bulgarian water and gas pipes according to EN 10255 are at €520-560/mt ($666-717/mt) ex-works.
€1 = $1.28