In April, crude steel production increased by 5.8% year-over-year, while rolled steel production continued to decline by 2.5% year-over-year. Apparent consumption rose by 2.2% year-over-year. Meanwhile, exports grew by 12.9%, and imports fell by 2.6% compared to the same period last year. Despite the decline in imports, they continue to account for 41.1% of regional apparent consumption year-to-date in 2026, thus maintaining a high share of the steel market in Latin America.
Crude steel production in Latin America reached 4.8 Mt in April, marking a 5.8% year-over-year increase. Year-to-date, production totaled 18.8 Mt, remaining stable compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, rolled steel production reached 4.2 Mt (-2.5% year-over-year) during the month and 16.9 Mt year-to-date, representing a year-over-year decrease of 1.9%.
Apparent consumption of rolled products reached 6.6 Mt, an increase of 2.2% compared to April of last year and a 0.8% year-over-year increase for the first four months of 2026.
Imports totaled 2.7 Mt in April, marking a -2.6% decline compared to the same period last year, and for the year-to-date period of 2026, they reached 10.4 Mt, representing a -0.8% year-over-year contraction. The sharpest declines in the fourth month of the year were observed in Brazil (-44.3% year-over-year), Argentina (-34.8% year-over-year), and Colombia (-14.3% year-over-year). Year-to-date in 2026, imports declined in Brazil (-3.5% year-over-year), Mexico (-14.1% year-over-year), and Argentina (-11.0% year-over-year), with Colombia being the only country to record growth (+13.6% year-over-year).
Meanwhile, exports totaled 561,000 metric tons in April, marking a 12.9% increase compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date, they reached 2.2 Mt, although they still show a year-over-year decline of 5.8%. At the country level, Brazil’s export growth stood out (+54.2% year-over-year for the month and +21.5% year-over-year year-to-date). In contrast, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia recorded declines in both April and year-to-date for 2026. As a result, the regional trade balance remained at a deficit of -2.2 Mt in April and accumulated a negative balance of -8.2 Mt during 2026.
Most steel-consuming sectors continue to show negative performance year-to-date, with exceptions in the automotive sector (+1.9% year-over-year) and construction (+2.4% year-over-year).