Peru buys transmission cable by the kilometre, and the paperwork reports it by the kilo
The numbers behind this
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Landed price per kilo, three year range | $2.98 to $3.20 |
| Median kilometre | $757 |
| Lower quarter, per kilometre | $414 |
| Upper quarter, per kilometre | $2,132 |
| ACAR family | $27.5M |
| AAAC family | $14.4M |
| ACSR family | $4.6M |
| Active importers | 106 |
| Share held by the top three | 51.7% |
| Shipments declared in km or metres | 569 of 742 |
Aluminium conductor arrives in Peru by the kilometre. The import paperwork reports it by the kilo.
That single mismatch explains most of what looks strange in this market.
The flattest market on the shelf
Measured by weight, aluminium conductor has almost no price dispersion. The landed price per kilo came in near $3.10 in each of the last three years.
The middle of the shipments moved the same way, drifting from $3.05 to $3.62.
That is what a commodity looks like when the metal sets the price and the metal is quoted daily. Nobody in this market is cheap and nobody is expensive.
Priced by the kilometre, the same category spreads five to one
Price per kilometre across all shipments that declare length
The same market, measured the other way
Now price it by length, which is how a transmission line is designed and how it is paid for.
The median kilometre lands at $757.
The bottom of that range sits at $414 and the top at $2,132. A market that is flat by weight spreads more than fivefold by length.
Why both are true
The variable is the cross section. A heavier conductor carries more current, so it costs more per kilometre while costing the same per kilo.
Price per kilo measures the metal. Price per kilometre measures the cable. The design decision lives entirely in the second one and is invisible in the first.
That is why the unit matters so much here. A buyer comparing two offers per kilo is comparing two identical numbers and learning nothing. A buyer comparing per kilometre may be comparing two different cables without noticing.
Three families carry the trade, and they are not interchangeable
Import value by conductor family
The alloy families sit on top of that
Three families carry the market. ACAR is the largest at $27.5M, then AAAC, then ACSR.
Their prices per kilo sit within a few cents of each other. Close enough that weight will never tell them apart.
A design fixes one of them and holds it. Conductivity, tensile strength and sag behave differently, and the choice belongs to the engineer rather than to the purchasing desk.
A tail that is not cable
There is one more reading worth carrying. The top tenth of the price per kilo jumped to $10.22 over two years while the middle barely moved.
That tail is not conductor getting expensive. It is fittings, clamps and accessories riding inside the same code and pulling the top of the range up.
Anyone using the maximum of this market as a reference is using hardware to price cable.
The shape of the buyer side
This is a small, concentrated market. 106 companies were active and three of them hold 51.7% of the value.
And it is project work rather than replenishment. Barely 742 shipments carried $64M, which means the average purchase is very large and arrives with a line to build behind it.
That changes what a supplier is selling into. A project buyer matches a specification with a delivery date attached to it.
What to take from this
Quote in the unit the line is designed in, which is the kilometre and the metre.
Lead with the alloy family and the cross section, because that is the only place where two offers can genuinely differ.
And treat the price per kilo as what it is: a metal quotation that both sides can look up, and that neither side can win.
Frequently asked questions
How is aluminium conductor priced when it enters Peru?
By length in practice. 308 shipments were declared in kilometres and 261 in metres, against 37 in kilos. The median kilometre lands at $757, with quartiles at $414 and $2,132.
Why is the price per kilo almost identical across suppliers?
Because it measures the metal, which is quoted daily. The landed price per kilo was $2.98, $3.20 and $3.19 across three years, so weight cannot separate one offer from another.
What explains the spread in price per kilometre?
The cross section. A heavier conductor carries more current, so it costs more per kilometre while costing the same per kilo.
Which conductor families does Peru buy?
ACAR is the largest at $27.5M, followed by AAAC at $14.4M and ACSR at $4.6M. Their prices per kilo are $3.13, $3.39 and $2.74.
How many companies import aluminium conductor into Peru?
106 were active in the period, with two holding half the value and three holding 51.7%. Purchases are project sized rather than routine replenishment.
The figures behind this piece
Every company in this trade, with volume, price and the other side of the flow. Ask for the file that matches your partida.
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