Argon: Trading
Why Indian buyers pay more than Chinese sellers
What this tab covers How it is bought and sold: buyers and sellers, price benchmarks and who publishes them, exchanges, contract types, traders, how Indian buyers price it, recent price points, and good sources to follow.Who buys, and where
- Steel mills (bulk liquid)
- Cylinder distributors and fabricators
- Solar ingot and chip fabs (on-site or bulk)
Who sells, and from where
- Industrial gas majors from large ASUs
- Steel mills with surplus argon from captive ASUs
Price benchmarks
| Benchmark | Publisher | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Bulk liquid argon price assessments (China FOB, India CIF) | Procurement Resource, ChemAnalyst | monthly, indicative |
Contract types
- Bulk liquid supply contracts of 1-5 years
- Cylinder supply with rental
- Spot liquid trades between gas companies in shortages
Traders and distributors
- Gas companies swap liquid among themselves; no merchant traders of note
How Indian buyers price it
- Supplier contract and list prices; some imported liquid priced at CIF parity
Recent price points
| Date | Price | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | $786/t | CIF India, bulk | Procurement Resource |
| Aug 2026 | $695/t | FOB China, bulk | Procurement Resource |
| Apr 2026 | about $725/t | India, bulk | Procurement Resource |
Good sources to follow
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries: Helium and Rare Gasesfree research site · US Geological SurveyUS argon sales, trade and uses each year
gasworldfreemium newsletter · industrial gases trade publisherrare gas supply and price news
Procurement Resource argon price trendsfreemium research site · Procurement Resourcemonthly argon price assessments for China, India and others