Prices for Mexican structural profiles rose in the first two weeks of March, compared with prices reported in February.
Steel beam IPR (ASTM-A6) was priced at US$899/mt ex-mill the first week of March; for the second week, the price increased to US$903/mt ex-mill. Moreover, the price for steel beam I (ASTM-A36) was US$907/mt ex-mill the first week, and US$899/mt ex-mill the following week.
According to a construction industry source, steel structures have started to gain ground in the sector. For every 100 new projects under development, said the source, 15 are using steel structures, and it is expected that structural steel's share in the market will increase over the next five years.
One of the reasons why steel structures have low participation in contemporary buildings and infrastructure is low competition. For many years the steel industry remained in an indifferent position, said sources. Individual companies that produced the materials did not have much reason to expand. However, after the country's trade liberalization, producers have upgraded their facilities and plants to compete with its business partners and deal with unfair competition.
Unlike industrialized countries in Europe, the U.S. or Japan, whose engineers and architects primarily choose steel as the top building material, Mexico's use of structural steel is still emerging. But in recent years, manufacturing processes have evolved, so contemporary projects are developed in which the only viable alternative is metal structuring.
"Structural steel competes over any other building system. In the coming years, it may have a more important role in the development of national infrastructure," said one source.