Demand in the Turkish welded pipe market has weakened due to lack of liquidity and the fluctuations of the US dollar/Turkish lira exchange rate amid the current political tensions and economic instability in the country. Turkish welded pipe manufacturers have reduced their domestic prices by a maximum of $10/mt over the past two weeks, while export offers have remained unchanged. However, most customers prefer to hold back from buying with uncertainty stifling activity. The welded pipe market in Turkey is expected to remain characterized by poor consumption and by caution among customers in the short run.
Most offers of Turkish ERW pipes and hollow sections with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from hot rolled coil (HRC) of S235 grade as per EN 10219 are being given to the domestic market at about $620-650/mt ex-works on actual weight basis, while water and gas ERW pipes of 2.0-4.5 mm wall thickness made to EN 10255/DIN 2440 from S235 grade HR products are still being offered in the domestic market at $650-670/mt ex-works.
Turkish producers are offering ERW pipes and hollow sections made from HRC of steel grade S235 JRH as per EN 10219 to foreign customers at around $620-640/mt FOB, while quotations of cold rolled pipes of steel grades S235 and S275 are at around $690-740/mt FOB. Water and gas ERW pipes with 20-114 mm diameter and with 2.0-4.5 mm wall thickness made to EN 10255 from S235 grade HR products are being offered for export at about $650-660/mt FOB.