In the first three months of this year, China’s overall finished steel exports amounted to 20.2 million mt, down 26 percent, while China’s finished steel exports to Latin America totaled 1.9 million metric tons, increasing by eight 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 year amounted to $1.12 billion, while the average price of these finished steel shipments to Latin America was $580/mt, up 33 percent year on year.
In particular, in the first quarter the average price in Central America of finished steel imports from China was $499/mt, 19 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 $518/mt, 15 percent lower than the average price of Chinese shipments to the rest of the world and the average price of Chinese imports in Costa Rica was $527/mt, 14 percent lower than the average price of Chinese shipments to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter, Latin America received 1.2 million mt of flat steel and 420,000 mt of long steel from China.