Activity is slow in the German seamless pipe market despite expectations for an improvement, given lingering economic uncertainty in Germany and in the EU overall. However, most German suppliers of seamless pipes are reluctant to lower their offers as they wait to observe the direction of raw material prices. Export and domestic prices of German seamless pipes have mostly stayed unchanged over the past month. During the period under review, quotations of Romanian seamless pipes to the German market have increased by €10-20/mt ($4-9/mt), Italian suppliers have raised their offers for Germany by €70/mt ($72-73/mt), while prices of Ukrainian material have moved up by a maximum of €15/mt ($5/mt). Import prices of Chinese material have decreased by €20/mt ($35-38/mt) over the given period. Market players believe that in the coming period seamless pipe suppliers in Germany will face pressure from high inventories, lower import offers from China and weakening demand prospects.
German 2"-6" seamless pipes of grade S355 made to EN 10210 are being offered to local buyers at around €900-920/mt ($1,146-1,171/mt) delivered.
Export quotations of German 2"-4" seamless pipes of grade B as per ASTM A106 are in the range of €880-920/mt ($1,120-1,171/mt) FCA on theoretical weight basis.
Prices for Chinese seamless pipes, 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L, are at about €520-570/mt ($662-726/mt) CFR Germany, exclusive of antidumping duties.
Offers of Ukrainian 2"-6" seamless pipes made to ASTM A106 of steel grade B are in the range of €790-815/mt ($1,006-1,037/mt) CPT, exclusive of antidumping duties.
Romanian 4"-6" seamless pipes made to ASTM A106 of steel grade B are being offered to the German market at about €960-980/mt ($1,222-1,247/mt) CPT.
Prices for Italian seamless pipes of 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106 are at about €1,020-1,050/mt ($1,298-1,337/mt) CPT.
€1 = $1.27