During the week ending December 18, average Chinese steel pipe export offer prices have remained stable. At present, export offers for welded pipe given by Chinese suppliers are in the range of $490-500/mt FOB, remaining stable compared to December 11, while export offers for API 5L seamless pipe given by Chinese suppliers are at $500-520/mt FOB, January shipment, remaining unchanged compared to December 11.
Product name |
Quality |
Spec. |
Price ($/mt) FOB |
Weekly change ($/mt) |
API 5L seamless pipe |
Gr.B |
2’’-6’’ Std |
510 |
- |
Seamless pipe, casing (hot rolled forming) |
J55 |
3’’-8’’ Std |
510 |
- |
Seamless pipe, tubing (cold drawn forming) |
ST37 |
< 3’’ Std |
670 |
- |
Welded pipes |
Gr.B |
2’’-6’’ Std |
495 |
- |
During the given period, steel pipe prices in the Chinese domestic market have remained stable amid the game between the support from macro policy and slack demand from downstream users. Construction activities have been halted in northern China, exerting a negative impact on the demand for steel pipe. Market players preferred to keep a relatively low inventory level, signaling they would be unwilling to build up stocks, likely weakening the support to steel pipe prices. It is thought that steel pipe prices in the Chinese domestic market will likely edge down in the coming week.
As of December 18, HRC futures at the Shanghai Futures Exchange are standing at RMB 3,450/mt ($480/mt), decreasing by RMB 111/mt ($15.4/mt) or 3.1 percent since December 11, while down 1.20 percent compared to the previous trading day, December 17.
$1 = RMB 7.188