Demand in the Romanian seamless pipe market has remained lackluster. Romanian mills' seamless pipe prices have been stable in the domestic market over the past month amid the ongoing stagnation in the construction sector in the country, while export offers have increased by around €10/mt ($13/mt). Import offers of seamless pipes from the Czech Republic have moved up by €30-60/mt ($40-79/mt) over the period under review. Meanwhile, demand for seamless pipes in Romania may improve in the second half of September as construction activity is expected to pick up. Most market players believe seamless pipe prices may trend up given the forecast increase in raw material prices and expected stronger demand on the back of seasonal factors.
Romanian domestic quotations of 3"-10" seamless pipes made to ASTM or EN are at about €880-900/mt ($1,162-1,188/mt) delivered, excluding 24 percent VAT.
Export offers of 3"-14" seamless pipes of grade B made to ASTM A106/API 5L are being given by ArcelorMittal Roman to the external markets at around €910-960/mt ($1,201-1,267/mt) FCA, 16' pipes are at levels of €1,030-1,050/mt ($1,360-1,386/mt) FCA, while 18"-20" pipes are at about €1,360-1,380/mt ($1,795-1,822/mt) FCA, all for October-November production.
Import offers of 3"-4 seamless pipes from the Czech Republic (ArcelorMittal) of grade B as per ASTM A106/API 5L are being given to the Romanian market at €1,000-1,040/mt ($1,320-1,373/mt) CPT.
€1 = $1.317