Latin American steel imports from China increased 95 percent

Imports of finished rolled steel from China to Latin America hit a record 1.9 million tonnes between January and March 2014, up 95 percent from the 951,938 tonnes imported in January-March 2013. The region contains 11 percent of the 16.5 million tonnes of finished steel exported by China to the countries of the world during the first quarter of this year, which increased by 31 percent compared to the same period in 2013.

Flat steel was the most imported product from China in the region in Q1 2014, reaching 1.2 million tonnes. Among flat products, steel sheets (445,194 tons) and cold rolled coils (287,009 tons) were worth noting, which accounted for 24 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

Long product imports from China reached 499,637 tons between January and March 2014, wire rod (259,848 tons) and rebar (183,862 tons). In addition, during this period, the region received 134,066 tons of seamless pipes from China.

Brazil became the main destination for Chinese finished products with 522,694 tonnes. This is followed by Chile with 272,261 tons and Central America with 224,288 tons. Markets that increased their imports year-on-year in this period were: Paraguay (+233 percent), Brazil (+226 percent), Argentina (+174 percent), Mexico (+166 percent) and Central America (+115 percent) ...