Winter Stockpiling Policies Unveiled; Seamless Pipe Prices Stabilize Today

[Price Review]

Seamless Pipe: On December 30th, prices for 108*4.5mm seamless pipes remained stable in the Linyi market and the Liaocheng market, showing no change from the previous period.

[Raw Materials]

Pipe Billets: On December 30th, Shandong pipe billet factories maintained stable price hikes. Hot-rolled pipe billets 20#: Tiangang priced at 3440 yuan/ton, Donghai at 3400 yuan/ton; Continuously cast round billets 20#: Gangtou Special Steel priced at 3400 yuan/ton.

Steel Billets: On December 30th, prices were adjusted: Tangshan Qian’an Songting Iron & Steel’s common square billet resources increased by 10 yuan/ton, with a cumulative increase of 20 yuan/ton, executing a factory price of 3060 yuan/ton including tax.

[Market Conditions]

Seamless pipe prices across the country remained basically stable, with the national average price unchanged from the previous trading day. In terms of raw materials, pipe billet prices nationwide exhibited narrow fluctuations, with some increases of 10 yuan/ton in Shandong and stable prices in Jiangsu. Mainstream seamless pipe factories maintained stable prices, with some factories increasing prices by 20 yuan/ton. Pipe factory maintenance increased, and factories showed a clear willingness to maintain prices and continue destocking. In the market, black metal futures showed volatile but slightly stronger movements, and market sentiment was generally neutral. Seamless pipe raw material prices showed little change. As the end of the year approached, steel plant shutdowns and maintenance increased, with a focus on shipments and receipt of payments. Some pipe factories successively unveiled winter stockpiling policies, and traders adopted a cautious wait-and-see approach. Due to the cold winter weather in both the north and south, downstream industries began to take holidays successively, highlighting the off-season effects. Terminal demand in the market continued to decline, and the market trading atmosphere weakened. In summary, seamless pipe prices across the country are expected to remain stable.

[Industry and Economics News]

◎On December 30th, iron ore transactions at major ports nationwide totaled 845,000 tons, a decrease of 24.6% from the previous period; 237 mainstream traders transacted 119,700 tons of construction steel, an increase of 22.8% from the previous period.

◎On December 30th, Tangshan Qian’an’s common square billet resources increased by 20 yuan/ton including tax, reported at 3050 yuan/ton.

◎From December 23rd to December 29th, the total shipment of iron ore from Australia and Brazil amounted to 29.382 million tons, an increase of 4.580 million tons from the previous period. Australia’s shipments totaled 21.897 million tons, an increase of 4.823 million tons, with 17.990 million tons destined for China, an increase of 2.384 million tons.

◎The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a document stating that by 2027, 10,000 5G factories will be established, and no fewer than 20 pilot cities for “5G + Industrial Internet” integrated applications will be created.