Turkish welded pipe prices have increased slightly since last week and are expected to move up further, according to local pipe producers. Demand is at moderate levels in the local market and offers are now standing at $480-510/mt ex-works, up $5/mt over the past week. “We prefer to increase our prices gradually instead of making sudden upward moves. We consider the demand and our production capacities prior to price increases and we can say that, according to our sales volumes, prices will move up further next week,” a pipe producer told SteelOrbis.
On the export side, demand continues to be at low levels and prices are stable at $470-490/mt FOB. “Nothing changed with the new quotas for our EU sales, because allocations are almost the same as last year. Previously, we had many problems and the quota was not sufficient for Turkey, but this year we do not expect to see any problem for quota allocation,” another pipe producer said. Overall sources expect that pipe consumption will be lower as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on project activity. In addition, foreign buyers prefer to deal first for pipes of domestic origin as there is still a certain risk in terms of distant shipments. The EU quota for hollow sections (the most exported pipe product) is approximately 400,000 mt for the period from July 7, 2020, to June 30, 2021.
** 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.