During the first eight months of 2025, the consumption of steel products in Chile increased from the same period in 2024 by 16.3 percent to 1.886 million mt.
According to the country's steel institute, ICHA, despite the strong increase, the apparent consumption remains lower when compared to pre-pandemic levels, considering a peak of 2.132 mt achieved during the same period in 2021.
The institute mentioned that all families of products achieved positive results, with rebars increasing by 2.3 percent to 751,000 mt, beams by 21.3 percent to 85,000 mt, heavy plates by 36.9 percent to 206,000 mt, HRC by 12.3 percent to 339,000 mt, CRC by 31.2 percent to 58,000 mt, coated flat products by 38.8 percent to 404,000 mt an seamless pipes by 43.6 percent to 26,000 mt.
During the period, 86 percent of the steel consumed in Chile was imported, with China, Japan and Turkey achieving a combined share of 90 percent of the imported steel.
According to ICHA, steel consumption is expected to rise by 11.5 percent in 2025, reaching 2.649 million mt. For 2026, the forecast is 2.699 million mt, matching the amount consumed in 2017. This trend highlights the need for investments, especially in construction and mining, to restore steel consumption to its historical levels.