On December 6, SteelOrbis reported Argentinian domestic prices for commercial grade HRC at $625-640/mt ex-works. This was an increase of $10-15/mt from $615-625/mt ex-works in early November prices. CRC domestic prices were reported at $755-765/mt ex-works which increased by $20/mt from $735-745/mt ex-works in early November.
Following the higher costs of production including higher energy cost increases, domestic flat prices in Argentina have once again increased $10/mt on HRC and $15/mt on CRC and are now as follows: $635-650/mt ex-works for HRC and $770-780/mt ex-works for CRC.
Energy cost increases, announced in late January for the months of February and March, range from 40 percent for small consumers to 150 percent for large industrial consumers. According to a source, the strong raw materials prices and increased energy costs have resulted in domestic price increases despite a continued weak domestic demand.