As Argentina’s car output and crude steel production for May show positive gains, domestic prices on flat steel products are being heard trending stable.
On May 16, SteelOrbis reported domestic HRC from Argentina at $795-835/mt and CRC at $850-900/mt, all prices delivered and excluding VAT. In mid-May, HRC is said to have increased $10/mt from the March range of $670-685/mt to $680-695/mt ex-works, but delivered pricing was greatly affected by extremely high delivery charges in the country that are largely attributed to inflation and political challenges. In the case of CRC, most buyers are within the proximity of mills and therefore encounter less freight charges in transactions.
The high freight costs for buyers outside the Buenos Aires region and the larger metro areas in the country has encouraged imports from Chile and China.
As of mid-June, according to a source in the region, domestic prices are being heard as follows: HRC at $680-695/mt, CRC at $820-830/mt, and HDG at $1,080-1,150/mt, all prices on an ex-works basis. According to sources, mill prices continue trending “generally sideways” across all flat products and are unlikely to increase through the summer as a result of domestic and global conditions.