Price decreases have continued to be observed in the welded pipe market of the UAE over the past month. Demand from end-users is really poor and market operators have become more pessimistic about the future. Prices for locally produced black welded pipes have declined by $40-60/mt over the past month, while domestic prices for galvanized pipes have not changed. Import offers of Chinese welded pipes have remained at the previous levels for the UAE. Quotations of Indian welded pipes have seen a drop of $60-100/mt over the past month, while South Korean prices have decreased by $50-70/mt. The situation in the UAE welded pipe market is not expected to improve in the coming months due to the summer and the month of Ramadan in the Middle East.
Domestic prices for locally produced 1"-4" welded pipes with 2- 4 mm wall thickness grade B made to ASTM A53 or BS 1387 are at about $720-760/mt ex-works, while ½"-¾" pipe sizes with 1.8-2.0 mm wall thickness are at $750-770/mt ex-works. Current domestic prices of 1"-4" galvanized ERW pipes made to BS 1387 are in the range of $920-950/mt ex-works. Prices are given on actual weight basis.
Offers of Chinese ERW pipes up to 10" grade B as per ASTM A53/API 5L are being given to the UAE market at $790-830/mt C&F, compared to $780-830/mt C&F one month ago.
Indian suppliers are offering ERW pipes 1"- 6" as per BS 1387 (light series) or API 5L at $750-820/mt C&F, compared to $850-880/mt one month ago.
South Korean 8"-12" ERW pipes grade B made to ASTM A53/API 5L are being offered to the UAE on average at $900/mt C&F, 18" ERW pipes are at $925-950/mt C&F, while quotations of 20"-24" ERW pipes are at $1,000-1,050/mt C&F. Offers of 26"-48" SAW pipes from South Korea are at $1,275-1,350/mt C&F.