The Latin American Steel Association (Alacero) stated that Latin America’s crude steel production increased in April this year, while rolled steel output continued to decline, indicating persistent weakness in downstream steel activity despite a slight rise in apparent consumption.
According to the latest regional data, Latin America’s crude steel production totaled 4.8 million mt in April, up 5.8 percent year on year, while January-April output remained stable at 18.8 million mt. Rolled steel production fell by 2.5 percent year on year to 4.2 million mt in April and declined by 1.9 percent to 16.9 million mt in the first four months.
Apparent rolled steel consumption reached 6.6 million mt in April, up 2.2 percent year on year, while January-April consumption rose by just 0.8 percent. Most steel-consuming sectors remained weak in the year-to-date period, except for automotive and construction, which increased by 1.9 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.
Steel imports totaled 2.7 million mt in April, down 2.6 percent year on year, and decreased by 0.8 percent to 10.4 million mt in January-April. Despite the decline, imports still accounted for 41.1 percent of the region’s apparent steel consumption, maintaining a high share in the Latin American steel market. The sharpest import declines in April were recorded in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
Meanwhile, exports rose by 12.9 percent year on year to 561,000 mt in April, supported mainly by Brazil, though January-April exports were still down by 5.8 percent at 2.2 million mt. As a result, Latin America’s steel trade balance remained negative, with a deficit of 2.2 million mt in April and 8.2 million mt in the first four months of 2026.
