It's reported that Latin America and the Caribbean steel market recorded 3% jump in steel consumption during the first 4 months in 2018. With the improvement of global and regional economic conditions, crude steel production increased by 5%.

In the meantime, finished steel production rose by 7% compared to the same period last year. In addition, Latin American steel imports fell by 18%, accounting for 31% of the region's consumption. Exports increased by 12% over the previous year.

According to data published by the Latin American Steel Association (ALACERO), indicating that regional crude steel output totaled 22 million tons during the first 4 months in 2018, rose by 5% compared with the same period in 2017. Brazilian production surged higher by 4% over the previous year to a total of 11.6 million tons, accounting for 52% of the total regional production.