The Turkish welded pipe market is still witnessing an upward trend. In particular, Turkish welded pipe producers have increased their domestic prices by around $20-50/mt over the past two weeks following the upward trend of hot rolled coil (HRC) prices, while export quotations have moved up by $10-30/mt. However, local market activity is low owing to the uncertainty surrounding currency exchange rates and seasonal factors. Although Turkish buyers have become more active than they were last month, their purchase volumes are still very small. Meanwhile, market participants report stronger demand from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, while European buyers have also started to come back to the market after the winter holidays. Some market sources believe welded pipe prices in Turkey will increase further as HRC continues to become costlier. Meanwhile, the demand from both local and foreign customers is still not strong enough to support a significant price hike.
Most offers of Turkish ERW pipes and hollow sections with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from HRC of S235JR grade as per EN 10219 are being given to the domestic market at about $720-750/mt ex-works, while ERW pipes of 1.5 mm wall thickness made from cold rolled coil (CRC) are in the range of $800-850/mt ex-works. 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 $740-770/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 $710-750/mt FOB. Water and gas ERW pipes of 2.0-4.5 mm wall thickness made to EN 10255 from S235 grade HR products are being offered for export at about $730-780/mt FOB.