Domestic welded pipe prices in China have decreased by a maximum of RMB 50/mt ($5-10/mt) over the past two weeks as the domestic market has entered the off-peak season amid the cold weather conditions. Market insiders believe both welded pipe production and demand will remain at low levels in the coming weeks due to the limited number of working days during the first month of 2012. Export quotations of Chinese welded pipes have remained unchanged over the past two weeks as producers are not ready to raise prices yet in the current sluggish market. Market players prefer to hold back and wait for clearer market trends.
Current offers of locally produced welded pipes, 2"-6" Q215-Q235 grade, are being given to the Chinese domestic market at an average of RMB 4,150-4,200/mt ($655-665/mt) ex-works, while 2"-6" welded pipes of grade B as per ASTM A53 are at RMB 5,000-5,100/mt ($790-805/mt) ex-works. These local market welded pipe prices include 17 percent VAT.
Current export prices of Chinese welded pipes, 2"-8" grade B according to ASTM A53, are varying at around $750-780/mt FOB on actual weight basis, while 10"-18" welded pipes are at $770-880/mt FOB.