The Latin American Steel Association (Alacero) said Latin American crude steel production increased in April this year, while rolled steel production continued to decline, indicating persistent weakness in the downstream steel industry despite a slight increase in apparent consumption.
Latin American crude steel production was 4.8 million tons in April, up 5.8 million tons, according to the latest regional data. percent more than last year, while output remained stable at 18.8 in January-April. million tons. Rolled steel production fell 2.5 percent year-on-year to 4.2 million tons in April and fell 1.9 percent to 16.9 million tons in the first four months.
Apparent rolled steel consumption reached 6.6 million tons in April, up 2.2 percent year-on-year, while January-April consumption rose only by 0.8 percent. Most steel-consuming sectors remained weak in the current period, with the exception of automobiles and construction, which grew 1.9 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.
Steel imports totaled 2.7 million tons in April, down 2.6 percent from a year earlier, and fell 0.8 percent to 10.4 million tons in January-April. Despite the decline, imports still accounted for 41.1 percent of apparent steel consumption in the region, maintaining a high share of the steel market in Latin America. The sharpest declines in imports in April were recorded in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
Meanwhile, exports rose 12.9 percent year-on-year to 561,000 tons in April, supported mainly by Brazil, although January-April exports were still down 5.8 percent at 2.2 million tons. As a result, Latin America's steel trade balance remained negative, with a deficit of 2.2 million tons in April and 8.2 million tons in the first four months of 2026.
