Turkish producers of welded pipes have been forced to cut their prices by extremely sluggish demand in both the domestic and foreign markets amid current economic uncertainty. Over the past two weeks, domestic and export quotations of Turkish welded pipes have decreased by $10-20/mt amid low demand and falling quotations of flat steel. Nevertheless, the domestic market still remains weak despite of the price dip amid the weakening of the Turkish lira. Customers from
Europe and the
Middle East and
North Africa (MENA) region are cautious and prefer to refrain from concluding deals, expecting a further decrease in welded
pipe offers. However, according to the preliminary statistics provided by the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Association (IMMIB), in September exports of welded pipes from
Turkey increased by 43.2 percent compared to August to 149,866 mt, due to strong demand from the US. In the first nine months of this year,
Turkey exported 1,230,498 mt of welded pipes, up 0.3 percent compared to the same period of last year. Turkish market players believe there will be another $10-20/mt decrease in welded
pipe prices on the back of unfavorable market conditions and falling offers of flat steel.
Most offers of Turkish ERW pipes and hollow sections of 2-6 mm wall thickness made from hot rolled coil (HRC) of S235JR grade according to EN 10219 are being given to the domestic market at about $780-810/mt ex-works, while ERW pipes of 1.5 mm wall thickness made from CRC are in the range of $860-900/mt ex-works. 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 being offered in the domestic market at $780-820/mt ex-works.
Turkish producers are offering ERW pipes and hollow sections of 2-6 mm wall thickness made from hot rolled coil (HRC) of steel grade S235 JRH according to EN 10219 or ASTM A500 to foreign customers at around $780-800/mt FOB. Export offers of ERW pipes and hollow sections of 1.5 mm wall thickness made from HRC from most Turkish
pipe makers are at around $840-860/mt FOB, while the same products made from cold rolled coil (CRC) are at $860-900/mt FOB. Water and gas ERW pipes of 2.0-4.5 mm wall thickness made to EN 10255 from S235 grade HR products are being offered for export at about $800-840/mt FOB.