During the week ending April 29, average Chinese steel pipe export offer prices have moved sideways. At present, export offers for welded pipe given by Chinese suppliers are in the range of $515-530/mt FOB, remaining unchanged on average compared to April 22, while export offers for API 5L seamless pipe given by Chinese suppliers are at $520-530/mt FOB, July shipment, moving sideways on average compared to April 22.
| Product name | Quality | Spec. | Price ($/mt) FOB | Weekly change ($/mt) |
| API 5L seamless pipe | Gr.B | 2’’-6’’ Std | 525 | - |
| Seamless pipe, casing (hot rolled forming) | J55 | 3’’-8’’ Std | 525 | - |
| Seamless pipe, tubing (cold drawn forming) | ST37 | < 3’’ Std | 665 | - |
| Welded pipes | Gr.B | 2’’-6’’ Std | 522.5 | - |
During the given week, steel pipe prices in the Chinese domestic market have moved sideways, while transaction activities ahead of the Labor Day holiday (May 1-5) have not been as good as market players had expected. However, the increasing prices of raw materials have provided solid support for steel pipe prices. It is expected that steel pipe prices in the Chinese domestic market will fluctuate within a limited range in the coming week.
As of April 29, HRC futures at Shanghai Futures Exchange are standing at RMB 3,407/mt ($497/mt), increasing by RMB 19/mt ($2.8/mt) or 0.6 percent since April 22, while up 0.80 percent compared to the previous trading day, April 28.
$1 = RMB 6.8608
