Latin American (LatAm) crude steel production increased by 9.7pc in November to 5.29mn mt from 4.82mn mt in November 2019, the Latin American Steel Association (Alacero) stated.
According to Alacero, November was the best month of 2020 for the LatAm steel industry with high levels of production in all countries in the region. During the month, crude steel production from blast furnaces rose by 8.4pc to 2.76mn mt while output from electric furnaces remained flat at 2.52mn mt. Seamless pipe production in Latin America rose by 9.7pc to 82,100mt in November 2020 compared to October as demand from the oil and gas industry strengthened.
In October 2020, LatAm steel consumption was 5.40mn mt, down from 5.50mn mt in the same month of 2019, Alacero said. The region’s steel shipments fell by 30.3pc to 586,000mt in October compared to the previous month, while imports rose by 10.8pc.