Activity in the welded pipe market in the UAE has remained slow over the past month as buyers try to avoid building up their stocks before Ramadan. However, local pipe producers have managed to keep their domestic prices unchanged, but demand has remained limited. Market participants believe welded pipe purchases in the UAE may decline in the short term period due to the seasonal lull in summer and the approach of Ramadan, when the market usually becomes fairly quiet.
UAE domestic prices for locally produced 1"-4" welded pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness grade B made to ASTM A53 or BS 1387 are at about $700-725/mt ex-works, while ½" welded pipe sizes with 2-4 mm wall thickness are at $710-740/mt ex-works.
Domestic quotations of 1"-4" welded pipes with 1.5-1.8 mm wall thickness grade B made to ASTM A53 or BS 1387 are at about $715-755/mt ex-works.
Current domestic prices of ½"-4" galvanized ERW pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness made to BS 1387 (light series) are in the range of $890-925/mt ex-works.
Offers of Chinese ERW pipes up to 10" grade B as per ASTM are being given to the UAE market at about $500-525/mt CFR.
Indian suppliers are offering ERW pipes, 1"-6" as per BS 1387 (light series), to the UAE at $620-630/mt CFR.