There are no positive signs in the Iranian seamless pipe market amid the ongoing tense economic and political situation in the country. However, local seamless pipe suppliers are unwilling to reduce offers, due to their advantage given the low volumes of imports. Import offers of Russian, Ukrainian and Chinese material have also remained unchanged over the past month amid sluggish buying activity. Market insiders report that transaction volumes are not significant and that buyers are cautious as seamless pipe demand levels have not improved.
The market outlook for the coming period remains gloomy with the country's unstable economy affected by the political disturbances in the Middle East region.
Current domestic prices of Iranian production seamless pipes of 1"-4" grade B made to API 5L are at $1,000-1,030/mt ex-works.
Import offers of Chinese seamless pipes, 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L, are being given to the local Iranian market at $800-850/mt CFR Bandar Abbas.
Quotations of Ukrainian seamless pipes of 2"-6" size grade B as per ASTM A106 are at about $1,060-1,080/mt CFR for September production.
Russian pipes of 2"-6" grade B as per ASTM A106 or GOST are being offered to northern Iranian ports at $950-1,050/mt CFR.