Launch of three monthly price assessments for barite

Fastmarkets will on Thursday August 31 launch three barite prices to complement its existing coverage of the barite market.

The assessments are for barite, drilling grade, API, 4.10 on an FOB basis from China, India and Morocco.

India, China and Morocco were the top producers of barite in 2022, according to the US Geological Survey.

An open consultation on the proposed prices ran from July 31 until August 28.

In recent months, market participants have reported a resurgence in liquidity and availability of the 4.10 grade of barite. Reportedly some western purchasers of barite have opted to purchase increased volumes of 4.10 grade due to diminishing availability of 4.20 grade. 4.20 grade barite remains the preference for other western buyers as well as the Middle Eastern market.

Market feedback received during the consultation was in support of Fastmarkets launching these prices.

Thus the launch of these price assessments will meet market participants’ needs for greater coverage of the barite market under these new conditions.

The price specifications will be as follows:

Barite, drilling grade, unground lump, API, bulk, SG 4.10, FOB China, $ per tonne
Quality: API grade, SG 4.10 unground lump
Quantity: 1,000 tonnes minimum
Location: FOB China
Timing: Spot
Unit: $ per tonne
Payment terms: within 30 days
Publication: Monthly, last Thursday of every month, 4pm London time.

Barite, drilling grade, unground lump, API, bulk, SG 4.10, FOB Chennai, $ per tonne
Quality: API grade, SG 4.10 unground lump
Quantity: 1,000 tonnes minimum
Location: FOB Chennai, India
Timing: Spot
Unit: $ per tonne
Payment terms: within 30 days
Publication: Monthly, last Thursday of every month, 4pm London time.

Barite, drilling grade, unground lump, API, bulk, SG 4.10, FOB Morocco, $ per tonne
Quality: API grade, SG 4.10 unground lump
Quantity: 1,000 tonnes minimum
Location: FOB Morocco
Timing: Spot
Unit: $ per tonne
Payment terms: within 30 days
Publication: Monthly, last Thursday of every month, 4pm London time.

The other existing barite prices published by Fastmarkets are unaffected, and will remain in place.

To provide feedback on these prices, or if you would like to provide price information by becoming a data submitter to these prices, please contact Alex Cook by email at: pricing@fastmarkets.com. Please add the subject heading “FAO: Alex Cook, re: barite.”

To see all Fastmarkets’ pricing methodology and specification documents, go to: https://www.fastmarkets.com/methodology.

What to read next
The publication of Fastmarkets’ AG-PLM-0019 refined bleached deodorised (RBD) palm olein, cfr South China assessment for Thursday July 24 was delayed due to a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
Fastmarkets has launched a MB-STE-0935 Steel reinforcing bar (rebar), differential to shredded auto scrap Chicago, fob mill US, $/gross ton to complement its existing suite of steelmaking raw materials to finished product differentials on Wednesday July 23. This strategic launch is designed to offer the market a single reference price denoting the differential between steel […]
The following prices were affected:MB-BI-0001 bismuth 99.99% Bi min, in-whs Rotterdam, $ per lbMB-CD-0001 cadmium 99.95% min, cif global ports, cents per lbMB-CD-0002 cadmium 99.99% min, cif global ports, cents per lb. These prices are part of Fastmarkets’ minor metals package. For more information, or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of these prices, or if you […]
After a consultation period from June 20 to July 18, Fastmarkets made the decision to discontinue these assessments because the outright prices no longer reflect market conditions, with the market shifting toward payables as the dominant pricing method. The affected prices are:MB-NIO-0003 nickel mixed hydroxide precipitate outright price, cif China, Japan and South Korea, $ per tonneMB-NIO-0005 nickel […]
The publication of Fastmarkets’ MB-CO-0004 cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam and MB-CO-0005 cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam assessments for Wednesday July 23 was delayed because of a system error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated.
On reviewing the methodology specifications, Fastmarkets is proposing to update the quantity, location and payment terms of the price. The specifications would be as follows, with amendments in italics: MB-SI-0003 silicon, ddp US, US cents per lbQuality: Si: 98.50%, Fe: 0.50%, Al: 0.50%, Ca: 0.30%Quantity: Min 20 tonnesLocation:ddp USUnit: US cents per lbPayment terms: 30 days, other terms normalizedPublication: Weekly, Thursday 4-5pm […]