According to the statistics provided by the Turkish Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association, in the H1 of this year Turkey's total steel pipe exports amounted to 852,638 tonnes increasing by 4% compared to the corresponding period last year. Meanwhile, the revenue generated by these exports totaled USD 776 million down by 3% compared to January to June 2011.

In the period in question, Turkey's seamless steel pipe exports rose 3% over the same period last year to 120,000 tonnes while its welded pipe exports fell 5% YoY to 49,000 tonnes. On the other hand, in the H1 of the year the share of Turkey's steel pipe exports to the EU fell to 41.1% of its total steel pipe export volume, down from the 50.7% recorded in the H1 of 2011 while the share of steel pipe exports to the US rose to 21.2% from 13.2% in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The Association forecast a 3.5% to 4.0% YoY growth in the steel pipe production of Turkey in 2012, following a 10% YoY increase recorded in 2011. The global financial slowdown, the economic crisis in the EU which is the most crucial market for the Turkish steel pipe sector and the contraction of domestic demand negatively influenced the Turkish steel pipe sector in addition to the slowing of the growth rate in the construction sector and the sluggishness of the automotive sector.

Turkey's top 10 steel pipe export destinations in H1 2012:

(In tonnes)

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(www.steelguru.com)