The Chinese steel
pipe market has mainly followed a stable trend in the past week.
As of June 26, in
China's three main steel markets, i.e., Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, the average price of 20# (GB/T8162-1999) grade 108 mm x 4.5 mm seamless
pipe now stands at $653/mt, with 20# (GB/T8163-1999) grade 219 mm x 6 mm seamless
pipe at $696/mt. Meanwhile, on the same date, Q195-215 grade 48 mm x 3.25 mm welded
pipe and Q215-235 grade 114 mm x 3.75 mm welded
pipe prices in the above markets are standing at $562/mt and $568/mt respectively. All the above prices include 17 percent VAT.
Chinese domestic seamless
pipe prices have moved sideways in the past week. Billet prices in
China have just indicated slight fluctuations in the given week and these have had little influence on the trend of seamless
pipe prices. Amid slack trading activity, negative sentiment prevails among traders and they are generally ready to negotiate on prices. As regards the coming week, the trend of the Chinese domestic seamless
pipe market is expected to be mostly stable, though with some slight downticks.
The local Chinese domestic welded
pipe market has on average followed a fairly stable trend in the past week, though some slight price movements have been observed in certain regions. In northeast
China, certain traders have chosen to raise their welded
pipe prices by a small margin on the back of the slight rebound in steel strip prices. On the other hand, traders in southern
China have reduced their prices slightly due to low demand. As for the week ahead, it is expected that domestic welded
pipe prices may be characterized by minor fluctuations, with some slight increases possible due to higher upstream costs. At the same time, slow demand will continue to limit any upward price movement in the market