LatAm steel consumption down in January

Apparent consumption of finished steel in Latin America reached 5.4Mt in January, down 4% compared to the same month of 2018, regional steel association Alacero reported.

Panama's finished steel consumption plunged 51%, Venezuela's declined 34% and El Salvador saw a drop of 31%, the association said.

However, there were increases in consumption volumes in some countries, with a 15% hike to 42,000t in Colombia, a 27% increase to 19,000t in Guatemala and a 6% hike in Peru to 15,000t.

FINISHED STEEL OUTPUT

Latin America produced 4.2Mt of finished steel in January, down 5% year-on-year, according to Alacero.

Brazil was the biggest producer, pumping out 1.8Mt, or 43% of the total, followed by Mexico with 1.6Mt.

CRUDE STEEL OUTPUT

Latin America produced 5.28Mt of crude steel in the first month, 1% lower than in January 2018, with Brazil accounting for 56% of the total, or 2.9Mt.

Crude steel output in 2018 as a whole rose 3.4% to 65.1Mt, Alacero said.