In the first half of this year, China’s overall finished steel exports amounted to 39.6 million mt, down 29 percent, while China’s finished steel exports to Latin America totaled 3.8 million metric tons, increasing by 13 percent, both 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 $2.33 billion, while the average price of these finished steel shipments to Latin America was $612/mt, up 35 percent year on year.
In particular, in the first half the average price in Central America of finished steel imports from China was $540/mt, the average price in Peru of finished steel imports from China was $545/mt, the average price of Chinese imports in Costa Rica was $555/mt, the average price of Chinese imports in Colombia was $561/mt and the average price of Chinese finished steel imports in Chile was $592/mt, lower by 17 percent, 16 percent, 15 percent, 14 percent and nine percent respectively compared to the average price of Chinese finished steel shipments to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, in the first half this year, Latin America received 2.6 million mt of flat steel and 719,000 mt of long steel from China.