The domestic welded pipe market in Italy has continued to be quiet in terms of demand, though Italian producers have managed to keep their prices stable over the past month. Offers of Turkish pipes to Italy have increased by €20-25/mt ($3-9/mt) over the period under review due to currency fluctuations, while prices for Bulgarian materials have gone down by €10-15/mt ($30-35/mt) in the same period. Market players hope to see an improvement in construction activity in the domestic market in the coming period due to the end of the winter season, while the strengthening of the dollar against the euro will help to stimulate Italian welded pipe exports. However, the demand rebound in the Italian market appears limited due to tight liquidity.
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 on sale to local clients at €520-540/mt ($569-589/mt) delivered. Prices are shown on actual weight basis and excluding 22 percent VAT. Domestic prices for standard-size precision welded tubes of E235 grade as per EN 10305-3 are at about €620-630/mt ($676-687/mt) ex-works.
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are at about €550-570/mt ($600-621/mt) FOB (transportation by sea) or €510-540/mt ($554-586/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 €550-580/mt ($600-632/mt) CFR to Italy and at €565-600/mt ($616-654/mt) CFR to Spain.
Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Italian market are standing at an average of €520-540/mt ($566-589) CPT on theoretical weight basis.
€1 = $1.09