The Italian welded pipe market is witnessing weak demand, and the situation is not expected to improve soon in view of the approaching the vacation period in Europe. Italian welded pipe suppliers have cut their offer prices by around €20-30/mt ($26-40/mt) over the past month. Import offers of welded pipes from Turkey have decreased by a maximum of €5/mt ($7/mt) over the past month, while prices of Bulgarian material have moved down by €20/mt ($26/mt) during the same period. Many local consumers are keeping their buying activities at minimum levels in the current period. Market sentiment will mostly remain pessimistic until September. However, it is unlikely that there will be any substantial price reductions as mills are already struggling at current price levels.
Current local prices for Italian welded pipes of 2"-6" size with wall thickness of 2.0-4.0 mm as per EN 10219 made from base steel grade S235JR hot rolled coil (HRC) are at about €500-530/mt ($670-710/mt) delivered. Prices are shown on actual weight basis and excluding 21 percent VAT.
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are at about €530-560/mt ($710-750/mt) FOB (transportation by sea) or €500-530/mt ($670-710/mt) ex-works (transportation overland).
Offers from Turkish suppliers of industrial welded pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from HR coils are being given at an average of €505-530/mt ($677-710/mt) CFR to Italy and at €520-540/mt ($700-727/mt) CFR to Spain.
Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Italian market are standing at an average of €560-580/mt ($750-777mt) CPT on theoretical weight basis.
€1 = $1.34