Demand has improved slightly in the local Turkish welded pipe market, which, together with the uptrend in the hot rolled coil (HRC) segment, has led to an increase in Turkish mills’ pipe prices for both domestic and export destinations.
Welded pipe export prices from Turkey have increased by $20/mt over the past two weeks to $520-530/mt FOB, with products currently available for end of December and January shipment. However, for high-volume orders, mills may give discounts of about $10/mt on these levels. In the local market, prices have added $10-25/mt over the same period, reaching $510-535/mt ex-works, SteelOrbis has learned.
“Stronger HRC prices are supporting the uptrend in the pipe market. Moreover, import scrap is rising,” a source said. Some players have pointed out that demand for ex-Turkey pipes from foreign customers has improved, especially from those buyers from the Middle East. However, European customers have showed less interest in purchases than Middle Eastern importers as they are worried that the EU quota for Turkish pipes will be filled soon. It is expected that welded pipe prices will be moving in line with the price trend in the HRC segment.
** 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.