After the municipal elections in Turkey at the end of March, both demand and prices have started to strengthen in the local welded pipe market. Turkish mills have raised both domestic and export welded pipe prices amid increasing feedstock costs and better market sentiment. Domestic quotations of welded pipes in Turkey have moved up by around $20-40/mt over the past three weeks, while export quotations of welded pipes from Turkey have increased by $10-30/mt over the same period. Market participants believe welded pipe prices in Turkey may remain on an upward trend in the coming period amid higher production costs and stronger demand in the construction sector.
Most offers of Turkish ERW pipes and hollow sections with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from hot rolled coil (HRC) of S235 grade as per EN 10219 are being given to the domestic market at about $650-680/mt ex-works on actual weight basis. Water and gas ERW pipes of 2.0-4.5 mm wall thickness made to EN 10255/DIN 2440 from S235 grade HR products are being offered in the domestic market at $680-720/mt ex-works.
Turkish producers are offering ERW pipes and hollow sections made from HRC of steel grade S235 JRH as per EN 10219 to foreign customers at around $640-670/mt FOB, while quotations of cold rolled pipes of steel grades S235 and S275 are at around $700-750/mt FOB. Water and gas ERW pipes with 20-114 mm diameter and with 2.0-4.5 mm wall thickness made to EN 10255 from S235 grade HR products are being offered for export at about $660-700/mt FOB.