Demand has remained sluggish in the Italian welded pipe market amid the difficult financial and economic situation in the region. Meanwhile, domestic and export prices of Italian welded pipes have mostly remained unchanged, dropping by €10/mt ($13/mt) over the past month in some cases amid softer feedstock quotations and low consumption. Offers of Turkish and Bulgarian pipes for Italy have remained stable over the period under review. However, according to market players, welded pipe suppliers may give customers discounts when deals are being closed. Most market participants do not expect any improvement in the short term considering the current market situation, and so quotations will probably remain at the current levels, while discounts will be granted as usual.
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 HR coils are at about €570-590/mt ($747-773/mt) ex-works from Arvedi Tubi Acciaio, while offers from Marcegaglia are being given to local customers at €550-570/mt ($720-747/mt) ex-works. Prices are shown on actual weight basis and excluding 21 percent VAT. Domestic prices for standard-size precision welded tubes, E235 grade as per EN 10305-3, are at about €660-670/mt ($864-878/mt) ex-works. Quotations of galvanized welded pipes from Italian producers are in the range of €660-680/mt ($864-891/mt) ex-works.
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are at about €580-620/mt ($760-812/mt) FOB (transportation by sea) or €550-590/mt ($720-773/mt) ex-works (transportation overland). In particular, offer prices for Spain are in the range of €580-620/mt ($760-812/mt) CPT.
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 €550-570/mt ($720-747/mt) CFR to Italy and at €570-590/mt ($747-773/mt) CFR to Spain.
Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Spanish market are standing at an average of €580-600/mt ($760-786/mt) CPT on theoretical weight basis.
€1 = $1.31