The Iranian seamless pipe market has remained sluggish due to the unstable political and economic situation in the country. However, Iranian traders have increased their offers by a maximum of $60/mt over the past month, depending on sizes, due to low imports as well as the further weakening of the Iranian rial's interbank exchange rate against the US dollar. Import offers of Chinese material have decreased by around $10-30/mt over the same period. Offers of seamless pipes from Ukraine and Russia have stayed at unchanged levels. Market players believe the summer seasonal lull and the approach of Ramadan will not allow seamless pipe prices to change significantly in the coming period.
Local stockists' prices for domestic production seamless pipes of 1"-3" size are at about $1,580-2,000/mt ex-warehouse, up $15-60/mt over the past month, depending on sizes.
Import offers of Chinese seamless pipes, 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L, are being given to the local Iranian market at $920-970/mt CFR Bandar Abbas.
Quotations of Ukrainian seamless pipes of 2"-6" size grade B as per ASTM A106 are at about $1,230-1,250/mt CFR Bandar Abbas for July-August production, while offers of 8"-12" pipes are at $1,260-1,300/mt CFR.
Russian pipes of 6" grade B as per ASTM A106 are being offered to northern Iranian ports at $1,170-1,200/mt CFR Anzali from Tagmet, while 2"-3" pipes are quoted at around $1,385-1,400/mt CFR from Sinarsky Pipe Plant for delivery in September 2012. Offers of 2"-8" seamless pipes of grade B as per ASTM A106 from Russian producer Uraltrubostal are at about $1,080-1,100/mt CFR Anzali.
Iranian stockists' domestic prices for locally produced seamless pipes:
($/mt, ex-warehouse)
Diameter Price Change*
1" 2,000 +60
1 1/2" 1,650 +15
2" 1,580 +25
3" 1,580 +20
*over the past four weeks