Trading activity in the Italian welded pipe market has been relatively scarce over the past month on account of the holiday season. Nevertheless, Italian welded pipe makers have lifted domestic and export prices by €20/mt over the past month citing an upward trend in hot rolled coil (HRC) prices. Prices of Bulgarian welded pipes have gone up by €50-55/mt. Romanian suppliers have increased their welded pipe offers for Italian customers by €40-60/mt over the past month. Over the same period, import offers of Indian black welded pipes for Italy have increased by €45-65/mt, while offers of Turkish welded pipes have risen by €50-70/mt over the period under review. Meanwhile, construction activity is seasonally slow in Italy and welded pipe demand is weak. However, a continuous upturn in flat steel quotations in Italy, driven by international prices of raw materials, and also the anticipated improvement in welded pipe demand from end-users are both expected to influence welded pipe quotations in the coming period.
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 €600-640/mt ex-works (here and below on actual weight basis and excluding 20 percent VAT). Local quotations of 3"-8" welded pipes of L235 steel grade as per EN 10208, used for combustible fluids, are at €650-670/mt ex-works.
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are at about €620-670/mt FOB (transportation by sea) or €600-640/mt ex-works (transportation overland). In particular, offer prices for Spain are in ranges of €650-700/mt C&F or €630-670/mt CPT.
Import offers of Romanian 3"-8" welded pipes of L235 steel grade as per EN 10208 are being given to the Italian market at around €660-680/mt CPT on theoretical weight basis.
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 €620-700/mt C&F to Italy and €630-715/mt C&F to Spain. The prices of Turkish welded pipes with 1.5 mm wall thickness made from CR coils are at about €695-780/mt C&F to the Italian market and at €710-790/mt C&F to the Spanish market.
Quotations of Indian black welded pipes of 1"-6" size as per BS 1387 or DIN 2440/2444 or EN 10255 to the Italian market are at the level of €740-750/mt C&F, while galvanized welded pipes are at €860-875/mt C&F on theoretical weight basis.
Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Spanish market are standing at an average of €695-710/mt CPT on theoretical weight basis.