According to the data released by Argentina's chamber of steel, in December 2011 Argentina's crude steel output amounted to 454,800 metric tons, falling by six percent as compared to the previous month and up 10.5 percent year on year.
In December, Argentina's total hot rolled steel product output decreased by 13 percent month on month to 423,300 metric tons, while a 16 percent increase was recorded on year-on-year basis, including output of 224,600 metric tons of hot rolled flat steel products, down 8.4 percent month on month, and 198,700 metric tons of long steel products, decreasing by 17.5 percent compared to November.
Argentina's cold rolled flat steel product output in December fell by 9.5 percent month on month to 125,900 metric tons, down 1.8 percent as compared to December 2010.
On the other hand, in the whole of 2011 Argentina's crude steel production totaled 5.61 million metric tons, increasing by 9.2 percent year on year. The country's chamber of steel also noted that crude steel output in 2011 constituted an all-time high, rising by 1.25 percent as compared to 2008 which witnessed the previous record output.