After the end-of-Ramadan holiday, demand has improved further in the Turkish welded pipe market and the price increases made by mills earlier are now being accepted by buyers. Market players believe prices will increase again as the outlook continues to improve. Domestic offers for pipes are standing at $475-505/mt ex-works currently, SteelOrbis has learned. “Now we are observing the market... We have seen many times in the past that price increases must be supported by demand and raw material prices. Otherwise, buyers never accept them. We believe market conditions will improve further and we will see higher prices,” a pipe producer told SteelOrbis.
On the export side, demand is low and prices are stable at $470-490/mt FOB. “We have additional quotas and have received some orders for July shipments from the EU too. But buyers are cautious, and uncertainty about the quotas limits sales. We expect to see the decision of the European Commission about the quota reduction at the end of June, and so buyers prefer to wait at the moment,” another pipe producer said.
** 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.