Demand from Polish customers for welded pipes is still weak amid the ongoing sluggishness of the construction industry. However, Polish welded pipe producers have raised their offers by €10-20/mt ($11-23/mt) over the past month amid higher raw material costs. Import offers of Italian and Bulgarian welded pipes have increased by around €10-15/mt ($11-17/mt) over the period under review following the price increases by Polish producers. In the meantime, end-user demand in Poland remains poor and traders' stocks are at sufficient levels. Most players believe the trend of the welded pipe market will depend mainly on scrap price trends. A rebound in buying activity is not expected until spring.
Current domestic quotations of locally produced 3/8"-6" water and gas ERW pipes of 2.6-4.5 mm wallthickness made to EN 10255 are at €610-650/mt ($695-741/mt) delivered, exclusive of 23 percent VAT. Offers of square and rectangular hollow sections with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from S235 JRH grade hot rolled coil (HRC) according to EN 10219 are in the range of €500-525/mt ($570-599/mt) ex-works. ERW galvanized pipes made to EN 10240 are quoted for local customers at €810-830/mt ($923-946/mt) delivered.
Quotations of Italian black welded pipes of 2"-6" size with wall thickness of 2.0-4.0 mm as per EN 10219 made from S235JR grade HRC to the Polish market are at levels of €550-585/mt ($627-667/mt) CPT on actual weight basis.
Offers of Bulgarian ERW pipes and hollow sections of 2-5 mm wall thickness made from S235JR grade HRC as per EN 10219 to Polish customers are standing at an average of €550-570/mt ($627-650/mt) CPT on theoretical weight basis.
€1 = $1.14