Despite the absence of a new significant price decrease in Turkish hollow section quotations this week, the market remains under pressure as demand has failed to improve in both the local and export segments. Buyers are still cautious about placing sizeable orders, while the continued downtrend of domestic HRC and scrap prices has kept expectations for lower workable levels alive. In addition, the approaching summer slowdown is further weakening demand prospects, making a short-term recovery difficult under the current market conditions. Pipe producers are therefore mostly trying to preserve their announced levels, but discounts are still possible for serious buyers and larger-tonnage inquiries as sales activity remains limited.
Domestic hollow section offers in Turkey are still generally heard at around $670-690/mt ex-works this week, unchanged from the levels reported previously. However, market sources indicate that discounts of around $5-10/mt may still be granted depending on the buyer, payment terms and volume.
In the export segment, Turkish hollow section offers have also remained mostly stable at around $670-680/mt FOB. Demand from overseas customers is still sluggish, with buyers continuing to test lower levels rather than committing to sizeable bookings. As a result, similar discounts remain achievable for firm bids and larger-volume transactions.
