Business activity is still slow in the Italian market for seamless pipes due to low demand from consuming industries, resulting from concerns about economic revival in Europe.
Domestic prices of locally produced seamless pipes have not changed over the past month, while export quotations have lost €20-50/mt over the same period, though in the US dollar terms export prices have increased by $10-44/mt. Import offers of seamless pipes from Ukraine have decreased by a maximum of €30/mt over the past month, while offers of Czech material have remained stable. Quotations of Chinese seamless pipes have decreased by €20-40/mt over the past month, while only prices of Romanian material have increased, by a margin of around €20-40/mt.
Italian seamless pipe producer Tenaris Dalmine has mentioned that demand from the oil and gas sector would support seamless pipe sales for the remainder of 2012, while sales to the industrial markets would decline reflecting the slowdown in industrial activity, particularly in Europe.
Current domestic prices for Italian seamless pipes of 8"-10" size as per ASTM are at about €1,200-1,250/mt ($1,584-1,650/mt) ex-works.
Export quotations of Italian seamless pipes of 6"-10" Sch 40 size of grade B as per ASTM A106 are at around €1,200-1,250/mt ($1,584-1,650/mt) FCA or €1,235-1,290/mt ($1,630-1,703/mt) FOB for December production.
Prices for Chinese seamless pipes, 2"-6" grade B made to ASTM, are at about €700-800/mt ($924-1,056/mt) CFR Italy. Prices are exclusive of antidumping (AD) duties of 17.7-39.2 percent.
September production Ukrainian 2"-6" seamless pipes as per GOST or ASTM are offered to the Italian market at around €850-900/mt ($1,122-1,188/mt) CPT (13.8 percent AD duty not included).
Prices for Romanian origin seamless steel tubes (ArcelorMittal Roman) of 3"-10" grade B made to ASTM or as per EN are at about €1,050-1,060/mt ($1,386-1,399/mt) CPT.
Czech origin 3"-10" seamless steel tubes (ArcelorMittal Ostrava), as per ASTM, are quoted for Italian consumers at around €1,030-1,050/mt ($1,360-1,386/mt) CPT.
€1 = $1.32