In the first nine months of this year, China’s overall finished steel exports amounted to 83.3 million mt, while China’s finished steel exports to Latin America totaled 5.7 million metric tons, decreasing by 20 percent on year-on-year basis, according to Alacero, the Latin American steel association. The value of Latin America's finished steel imports from China in the given period amounted to $2.64 billion, while the average price of these finished steel shipments to Latin America - at $465/mt, down 20 percent year on year - was one percent higher than the average price of Chinese finished steel shipments to the rest of the world.
In particular, in the January-September period of this year the average price in Central America of finished steel imports from China was $384/mt, 17 percent lower than the average price of Chinese shipments to the rest of the world, the average price in Peru of finished steel imports from China was $413/mt, 11 percent lower than the average price of Chinese shipments to the rest of the world, the average price of Chinese imports in Colombia was $426/mt, eight percent lower and the average price in the Dominican Republic of finished steel imports from China was $434/mt, six percent lower than the average price of Chinese shipments to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, in the same period, Latin America received 2.8 million mt of flat steel and 2.0 million mt of long steel from China.