Welded pipe market remains sluggish in Italy

Business activity in the Italian market for welded pipes is extremely low as most market players are on holiday at the moment. Meanwhile, some Italian producers have attempted to raise their official welded pipe quotations by a maximum of €10/mt over the past month in view of a possible upturn in scrap costs, but are still ready to make concessions to buyers as demand is still very slow. However, market players believe welded pipe prices in Italy will continue to go up slightly from the end of August amid anticipated improved demand after the summer period and forecasted higher raw material costs.
 
Current local prices for Italian welded pipes of 2"-6" size with wall thickness of 2.0-4.0 mm as per EN 10219 made from base steel grade S235JR HR coils are at about €560-610/mt ($689-751/mt) ex-works. Prices are shown on actual weight basis and excluding 21 percent VAT. Domestic prices for standard-size precision welded tubes of E235 grade as per EN 10305-3 are at about €650-700/mt ($800-861/mt) ex-works.
 
Export quotations of Italian 2"-6" welded pipes as per EN 10219 are at about €590-630/mt ($726-775/mt) FOB (transportation by sea) or €560-610/mt ($689-751/mt) ex-works (transportation overland). In particular, offer prices for Spain are in the range of €590-650/mt ($726-800/mt) CPT.
 
Offers from Turkish suppliers of industrial welded pipes with 2-4 mm wall thickness made from HR coils are being given at an average of €590-620/mt ($726-763/mt) CFR to Italy and at €610-650/mt ($751-800/mt) CFR to Spain.
 
Offers of Bulgarian welded pipes to the Spanish market are standing at an average of €560-590/mt ($689-726/mt) CPT on theoretical weight basis.
 
€1 = $1.23