In a report from Argentina's steel chamber, crude steel production for August 2013 was 478,900 tons, 3.9 percent higher than production in the previous month (461,500 tons) and 26.1 percent higher than August 2012 (379,900 tons).
Cumulative production for the first eight months of the year was 3.34 million tons, 3.3 percent lower than the same period last year (3.45 million tons).
Since July of this year, steel production in Argentina has been experiencing significant annual growth rates. "This is because in 2012, production was impacted by shutdowns of some plants suffered from furnace repairs and other extraordinary maintenance shutdowns," said the chamber's statement.
Production of hot-rolled steel in August 2013 reached 450,800 tons, 28.2 percent higher than in July 2013 (351,600 tons) and 12.6 percent higher than August 2012 (400,500 tons).
The production of cold rolled flat steel in August 2013 was 129,200 tons, which is 8.4 percent higher than July 2013 (119,200 tons) and 5.1 percent higher than August 2012 (122,900 tons).