Buying activity in the German seamless pipe market has failed to record any improvements over the past month amid the current slump in investment in the country. Most German buyers prefer to stay on the sidelines amid the weak confidence, difficult access to finance and uncertainties in the market. Domestic and export quotations of locally produced seamless pipes have decreased by €20-40/mt ($22-44/mt) over the past month. Import prices of Romanian seamless pipes have moved down by a maximum of €20/mt ($22/mt), while offers of Ukrainian pipes have declined by €30-45/mt ($33-50/mt). Over the same period, prices for Chinese and Italian material have stayed almost unchanged. Market participants do not expect any improvements in the near future and are mostly just hoping for a stable price trend.
German 2"-6" seamless pipes of grade S355 made to EN 10210 are being offered to local buyers at around €880-900/mt ($977-1,000/mt) delivered.
Export quotations of German 2"-4" seamless pipes of grade B as per ASTM A106 are in the range of €870-880/mt ($966-977/mt) FCA on theoretical weight basis.
Prices for Chinese seamless pipes, 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L, are at about €580-615/mt ($643-683/mt) CFR Germany, exclusive of antidumping duties.
Offers of Ukrainian 2"-6" seamless pipes made to ASTM A106 of steel grade B are in the range of €765-800/mt ($849-888/mt) CPT, exclusive of antidumping duties.
Romanian 4"-6" seamless pipes made to ASTM A106 of steel grade B are being offered to the German market at about €930-950/mt ($1,032-1,055/mt) CPT.
Prices for Italian seamless pipes of 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106 are at about €1,030-1,050/mt ($1,143-1,166/mt) CPT.
€1 = $1.11
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