Buying activity remains weak in the UAE welded pipe market as consuming industries keep showing slack demand. Local buyers continue to purchase material when they need it, keeping stocks at moderate levels. However, local and foreign welded pipe suppliers prefer to keep their offers mostly unchanged compared to the levels of one month ago.
Meanwhile, suppliers in the UAE welded pipe market may attempt to raise their prices in the coming period despite feeble demand, reflecting an expected price hike in the flat steel segment.
UAE domestic prices for locally produced ½"-4" welded pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness of grade B made to ASTM A53 or BS 1387 are at about $730-760/mt ex-works. Prices are given on theoretical weight basis.
Domestic quotations of ½"-4" welded pipes with 1.5-1.8 mm wall thickness of grade B made to ASTM or BS 1387 are at about $750-790/mt ex-works. Current domestic prices of 1"-4" galvanized ERW pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness are in the range of $870-940/mt ex-works.
Offers of Chinese ERW pipes up to 10" grade B as per ASTM are being given to the UAE market at about $750-780/mt CFR. Indian suppliers are offering ERW pipes, 1"-6" as per BS 1387 (light series), to the UAE at $720-750/mt CFR on actual weight basis. South Korean 10"-20" ERW pipes grade B made to ASTM A53/API 5L are being offered to the UAE at on average $800-830/mt CFR.