In the local Turkish welded pipe market, prices have remained unchanged and demand has remained low since last week. The market is silent and both buyers and sellers want to wait and observe the price trends for flat steel and raw materials. However, it is certain that prices will increase soon, due to the increases in import scrap prices in Turkey. "The market is slow and everybody wants to take a breather for a while after a very active buying period. We see that the increases in scrap prices also have not been reflected in hot rolled coil prices yet. It is obvious that prices will increase soon but first we want to see new HRC price levels," a producer told SteelOrbis. Prices for welded pipes are at $800-850/mt ex-works for February and March production.
On the other hand, expectations for the export markets are now negative due to the Covid-19 lockdowns around the world, mainly in the EU. Export prices have not changed either and are still at $790-830/mt FOB.
** 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.