Activity in the welded pipe market in the UAE has remained sluggish, with welded pipe prices continuing to trend in a downward direction. Over the past month, domestic quotations of black welded pipes have declined by $80-100/mt. Import offers of Chinese material have moved down by a maximum of $20/mt during the past month, while quotations of Indian welded pipes have weakened by about $30/mt. Market insiders report that demand is still low in the UAE domestic market as there is currently hardly any movement as regards real estate, infrastructure and commercial projects in the country. The market is expected to be characterized by slow activity in the short-term period due to weak demand from consuming industries.
UAE 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 $610-620/mt ex-works.
Domestic quotations of 1"-4" welded pipes with 1.5-1.8 mm wall thickness grade B made to ASTM A53 or BS 1387 are at about $625-650/mt ex-works.
Current domestic prices of ½"-4" galvanized ERW pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness made to BS 1387 (light series) are in the range of $735-755/mt ex-works.
Offers of Chinese ERW pipes up to 10" grade B as per ASTM are being given to the UAE market at about $485-500/mt CFR.
Indian suppliers are offering ERW pipes, 1"-6" as per BS 1387 (light series), to the UAE at $580-600/mt CFR.