As expected, during the last month Italian welded pipe prices have continued their rising trend. In particular, in the domestic market local mills' prices for welded pipes have risen by €30-50/mt. Quotations of precision welded thin wall pipes for local customers have increased by €20/mt over the past month. The upward movement has been justified by the increase in flat product prices in the Italian market; hot rolled coil in Europe had risen to around €430/mt at the end of August. Welded pipe price increases are likely in the short term given the upward trend in the cost of feedstock; however, ultimately price increases in the market will depend on demand levels, which are expected to improve after the traditionally quiet seasonal holiday period. Meanwhile, some promising economic data have given hope to producers that they will be able to enjoy relative stability during the remainder of the current year.
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 of base steel grade S235JR HR coils are at about €460-500/mt ex-works (here and below on a theoretical weight basis and excluding 20 percent VAT). Local producer Arvedi's quotations of welded pipes up to 6" of L235 steel grade as per EN 10208, used for combustible fluids, are at €570/mt delivered (€560-570/mt ex-works) for September production. Offers from Italian mill Ilva of the same pipes of 10"-12" size of L290/L360 steel grade from its stocks are at an average of €630/mt delivered (€590/mt ex-works), while offers of 14"-20" size are standing at €700/mt delivered (€660/mt ex-works). Domestic prices for standard-size precision welded tubes E235 grade as per EN 10305-3 are at about €620/mt ex-works.
Current local offers of precision welded thin wall pipes made to EN 10305-3 are at €770-820/mt ex-works for pipes made from CRC DC01 grade (in particular, 60 x 1.0 mm and 102 x 1.2 mm pipes) and at €720-770/mt ex-works for pipes made from HRC S235JR grade (in particular, 154 x 1.5 mm and 219 x 2.5 mm pipes). Large diameter welded pipes (in particular, 280 x 3.0 mm) are quoted at about €970/mt ex-works.
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are about €490-520/mt FOB (transportation by sea) or €460-500/mt ex-works (transportation overland). In particular, offer prices for Spain are in ranges of €520-540/mt C&F or €490-530/mt CPT.
Import offers of welded pipes for the Italian market are also increasing. Thus, Turkish welded pipes are offered at prices which are €30-50/mt higher than one month ago. Indian suppliers have increased their offer prices by a maximum of €20/mt.
Meanwhile, Belarusian, Turkish and Ukrainian suppliers of welded pipes to Europe are now able to breathe a sigh of relief, as the European Commission has terminated its antidumping proceeding against imports of welded pipes, tubes and hollow sections originating in the three countries in question. The decision was published and entered into force on September 4.
Offers from most Turkish suppliers of industrial welded pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness made of HR coils are standing at an average of €470-510/mt C&F to Italy and €475-520/mt C&F to Spain. The prices of Turkish welded pipes with 1.5 mm wall thickness made of CR coils are at about €540-580/mt C&F to the Italian market and at €550-590/t C&F to the Spanish market. Turkish black steel water pipes up to 6" of St 37 as per EN 10255 are offered to the Italian market at about €570-580/mt DDU.
Quotations of Indian black welded pipes of 1"-6" size as per BS 1387 or DIN 2440/2444 or EN 10255 to the Italian market are at the level of €520-550/mt C&F. Offer prices of Romanian welded pipes (ArcelorMittal) up to 10" of L235 as per EN 10208 are at about €570/mt including delivery inside Italy for September-October production material. Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Spanish market are standing at an average of €550/mt CPT.