Alacero, the Latin American steel association, has reported that in 2015 apparent finished steel use in Latin America and the Caribbean totaled 68.7 million mt, down four percent as compared with 2014. The highest increases were registered in Mexico, up 1.2 million mt (+5.0%), in Chile, up 264,000 mt (+5.0%) and in Argentina rising by 230,000 mt (+5.0%), while finished steel consumption decreased by 4.3 million mt (-17%) in Brazil and was down 293,000 mt (-9.0%) in Peru, all on year-on-year basis.
In 2015, regional finished steel trade registered an annual deficit of 15.3 million mt, falling by 0.8 percent compared to 2014. In the given year, only Brazil registered a surplus of 2.0 million mt, while the largest steel trade deficit was recorded in Mexico (6.5 million mt), followed by Colombia (2.3 million mt), Chile (1.8 million mt) and Peru (1.4 million mt).
On the other hand, according to advance information, Latin American crude steel production amounted to 4.7 million mt in January 2016, down 15 percent compared to January 2015 and decreased by 2 percent month on month.
Meanwhile, in 2015 finished steel production in Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to 53,3 million mt, down five percent year on year.