The situation in the Italian market for welded pipes still remains unfavorable. Italian welded pipe suppliers are discouraged by the slowdown in consuming sectors amid the financial and economic instability in the country, as well as by poor demand from foreign buyers. However, domestic and export prices have remained unchanged over the past month on the back of the high cost of raw materials. In the import segment, quotations of Turkish material have decreased by €10-20/mt ($3-17/mt), while offers of Bulgarian pipes for Italy have declined by around €20-30/mt ($15-29/mt) over the period under review. On the whole, market players expect the situation to remain mostly unchanged in the coming month. Meanwhile, Italian producers may be forced to give discounts to customers for large volumes, amid low demand and increased competition from imports.
Current local prices for Italian welded pipes of 2"-6" size with wall thickness of 2.0-4.0 mm as per EN 10219 made from base steel grade S235JR HR coils are at about €580-600/mt ($785-812/mt) ex-works from Arvedi Tubi Acciaio, while offers from Marcegaglia are being given to local customers at €550-570/mt ($744-771/mt) ex-works. Prices are shown on actual weight basis and excluding 21 percent VAT. Domestic prices for standard-size precision welded tubes, E235 grade as per EN 10305-3 (not normalized), are at about €670-690/mt ($907-934/mt) ex-works.
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are at about €580-630/mt ($785-852/mt) FOB (transportation by sea) or €550-600/mt ($744-812/mt) ex-works (transportation overland). In particular, offer prices for Spain are in the range of €580-630/mt ($785-852/mt) CPT.
Offers from Turkish suppliers of industrial welded pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from HR coils are being given at an average of €500-530/mt ($677-717/mt) CFR to Italy and at €520-540/mt ($704-731/mt) CFR to Spain.
Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Italian market are standing at an average of €580-610/mt ($785-825/mt) CPT on theoretical weight basis.
€1 = $1.35