2025 Stainless Steel Welded Pipe Market Review and 2026 Outlook
The stainless steel welded pipe market in 2025 experienced frequent price fluctuations, driven by raw material volatility, international trade policies, and shifting demand cycles. As a professional manufacturer and exporter, Ganyeah Group closely tracked these changes to help global customers better understand market trends and plan procurement strategies.
This article reviews the key developments in 2025 and provides a forward-looking outlook for the 2026 stainless steel welded pipe market.
Stainless steel welded ERW pipes produced by Ganyeah
2025 Stainless Steel Welded Pipe Market Review
H1 2025: Sharp Price Swings Driven by Policy and Raw Materials
In the first half of 2025, the stainless steel welded pipe market was highly sensitive to macroeconomic and raw material signals.
- March: News related to Indonesian taxation policies pushed nickel prices noticeably higher. Combined with expectations of demand recovery, stainless steel welded pipe prices rebounded, and some previously postponed orders were released into the market.
- April: Escalating China–US tariff tensions dampened export sentiment. Expectations of weaker end-user demand intensified, price support weakened, and welded pipe prices declined continuously. Downstream traders remained cautious, with limited restocking activity.
- May: The easing of tariff pressures improved the macro environment slightly, leading to a short-term price correction. However, as the market gradually entered the seasonal off-peak period, demand failed to provide sustained support, and prices resumed a downward trend.
By the end of the first half, sales pressure on pipe mills increased significantly. Aggressive low-price competition became frequent, but transaction volumes remained limited, and pessimism spread across the spot market.
H2 2025: Moderate Adjustment and Stabilization Toward Year-End
Compared with the first half, price movements in the second half of 2025 were relatively restrained.
- Q3: Supported by policies aimed at eliminating outdated capacity and boosted by traditional “Golden September, Silver October” demand expectations, stainless steel welded pipe prices moved upward in a volatile but positive pattern. Market inquiries increased, and some downstream buyers entered the market.
- Late Q3: As bullish expectations faded, prices corrected slightly. However, due to ongoing tight supply of hot-rolled coil, the downside remained limited.
- Q4: Entering winter, downstream projects gradually wrapped up. Weak demand, coupled with strong cash recovery pressure, led most manufacturers to lower spot prices. Actual transactions often included flexible discounts.
Toward year-end, the introduction of export license management policies triggered a short-term “rush for exports.” Improved demand helped coil prices stabilize and rebound slightly. Combined with pre-holiday restocking, pipe mill orders increased noticeably.
Overall, the stainless steel welded pipe market in 2025 showed a wide fluctuation in the first half and a narrower adjustment range in the second half, ending the year with relative stability.
2026 Stainless Steel Welded Pipe Market Outlook
Looking back, raw material prices in 2025 generally followed a volatile downward trend, with cost pressure continuously transmitted to the stainless steel welded pipe market. Supply-demand imbalances remained unresolved, and many steel producers faced cost inversion challenges.
As a result, welded pipe prices continued to test lower levels, though the overall decline was narrower than in previous years.
Key Expectations for 2026
Based on current indicators, the 2026 stainless steel welded pipe market is expected to show the following characteristics:
- Raw material costs may gradually stabilize, supported by supply-side adjustments and changes in pricing mechanisms.
- Under the dual-carbon strategy and industry-wide “anti-overcapacity” initiatives, supply-side constraints are likely to strengthen.
- Supply-demand pressure may ease modestly, reducing the likelihood of extreme price swings.
With multiple factors working simultaneously, prices are expected to face resistance on the upside while maintaining support on the downside. A range-bound, relatively stable market is the most probable scenario, with the annual price center potentially moving slightly higher.
Ganyeah Group Perspective
At Ganyeah Group, we believe that understanding stainless steel welded pipe market cycles is essential for making sound sourcing decisions. By combining market insight with stable production capacity and strict quality control, we continue to provide reliable welded stainless steel pipe solutions for global industries.
Whether for construction, fluid transportation, or industrial applications, our team supports customers with timely market information and flexible supply strategies in a changing market environment.