Over the past week, local mills’ offers in the Turkish welded pipe market have remained stable, but discounts are off the table taking into account the most recent increase in import scrap prices.
However, while sentiment among mills is positive, buyers are still cautious as they expect some negative consequence from the situation in China, which may affect hot rolled coil pricing. As a result, there is a lot of uncertainty in the market. “It is impossible to see the price at the moment. Chinese suppliers have decreased their offers and they are really aggressive. On the other hand, scrap prices have increased and in spring demand is set for a recovery,” a trader told SteelOrbis.
Currently, ex-Turkey welded pipe prices are at $530-540/mt FOB for March production. On the export side, EU import quotas for Turkish pipes is almost full and so export volumes of Turkish pipes are expected to decrease in the coming months. In the domestic market, welded pipe is available for purchase at the same price range.
** Prices are given for ERW pipes and hollow sections with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from HRC of S235 grade as per EN 10219, on theoretical weight basis.