Traders wait and see amid limited demand in Italian welded pipe market

The Italian welded pipe market has seen sluggish demand in the past month. However, in the given period, Italian suppliers of welded pipes have not revised their domestic prices amid stable flat steel quotations, while their export offers have declined by a maximum of €10/mt ($11/mt). During the same period, Turkish suppliers have cut their offers for Italy by a maximum of €10/mt ($11/mt), while import offers of Bulgarian welded pipes have decreased by €5-10/mt ($5-10/mt). Many traders in the Italian welded pipe market are faced with limited demand and so prefer to adopt a wait-and-see policy. Most manufacturers do not forecast a significant rise in prices for welded pipes in the short run.
 
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 hot rolled coil (HRC) are on sale to local clients at €500-540/mt ($540-583/mt) delivered. Prices are shown on actual weight basis and excluding 22 percent VAT.
 
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are at about €530-570/mt ($572-615/mt) FOB (transportation by sea) or €500-540/mt ($540-583/mt) ex-works (transportation overland).
 
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 €500-540/mt ($540-583/mt) CFR to Italy and at €510-560/mt ($550-658/mt) CFR to Spain.
 
Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Italian market are standing at an average of €500-520/mt ($540-562/mt) CPT on theoretical weight basis.
 
€1 = $1.08