South American steel import prices were mostly unchanged or slightly higher, with demand in the region still low and customers increasingly looking for alternative sources of flat steel as Chinese material becomes too expensive for importers, sources said.
Mills in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, like Russia and Ukraine, were regarded as a feasible alternative, they added.Fastmarkets assessed South American hot-rolled coil import prices at $570-580 per tonne cfr on Thursday April 18, up slightly from $565-575 per tonne a week earlier. This is the highest level since October 26, 2018, when prices reached $590-600 per tonne cfr.The...