JINAN, China — October 29, 2026 — Global demand for alloy steel pipe is firming as the market moves through the final quarter of 2026, with pipeline construction, thermal power maintenance and early-stage hydrogen and carbon-capture projects pushing buyers toward higher-grade seamless tubular products.
The International Tube Association (ITA), in its August 2026 world tube and pipe market overview, reports that global tube and pipe output reached 182 million tonnes in 2025, up from 162 million tonnes in 2024 — a 13% recovery. China accounted for 54% of global output and grew 10%, while worldwide production of pipeline tube above 406 mm (16″) outer diameter rose 37% as operators rerouted oil and gas flows around congested shipping routes.
That shift matters for alloy grades. ITA data shows oil and gas still account for around 51% of global tube demand, and that corrosion and wear in H₂S/CO₂-rich wells continue to drive uptake of sour-service alloys and corrosion-resistant alloy (CRA) and clad materials. The association also flags two newer drivers: CO₂ pipeline networks for CCUS, which need higher-alloyed material under corrosive conditions, and hydrogen transport pipelines, which it says “would create additional demand for alloyed steel tubes.” Thermal power plants are expected to keep running at a high level, sustaining demand for special tubular products.
For buyers, the practical consequence is a tighter market for chrome-moly and high-temperature grades. Seamless alloy steel pipe to ASTM A335 Grades P11, P22 and P91 and ASTM A213 T11/T22, together with 15CrMo and 12Cr1MoV equivalents, is now quoted with longer mill lead times than commodity carbon pipe. Price movement is being driven more by alloy availability and heat-treatment capacity than by hot-rolled coil, which has itself climbed sharply in the United States this year.
Suppliers in northern China are responding with tighter process control rather than volume expansion. Alloy heats are held to verified chemistry ranges, rolled to restricted wall-thickness tolerances, and heat treated to normalising or quench-and-temper schedules matched to the purchase order — because an alloy pipe that meets grade on paper but misses toughness after heat treatment will fail at the weld.
“Customers are not asking for more tonnage — they are asking for documentation,” Shandong Ruixiang Steel Group Co., Ltd. said in a statement. “A P22 or P91 heat going to a refinery or a CCUS project has to arrive with full traceability: EN 10204 3.1 mill certificates, heat numbers matched to test reports, and third-party inspection completed before loading.”
Typical alloy pipe orders now specify chemical and mechanical testing, ultrasonic and eddy-current inspection, hydrostatic testing, and heat-treatment records against the purchase specification. Buyers sourcing from overseas mills are also building longer inspection windows into project schedules — a change that favours suppliers able to release full documentation packages at the time of shipment rather than after the fact.
Wang added that enquiries from the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe rose steadily through the third quarter of 2026 and have carried into the last week of October, with project buyers booking tonnage earlier to protect construction schedules.
For procurement teams finalising 2026–2027 alloy steel pipe requirements before the year-end contracting cycle, the message from the data is straightforward: grade availability and certified documentation now matter as much as price per tonne.
Post time: Oct-29-2026