South American crude steel output plunged in March

By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

April 22, 2016 01:07:29 AM

SPOKANE (Scrap Monster): According to the recent data published by the World Steel Association, the crude steel production by South American countries dropped significantly during the month of March this year. The total monthly output declined by 13.3% to 3.211 Million tonnes.

The total crude steel production by Argentina during March was 318,000 tonnes, down considerably by 26.1% than the March 2015 production of 430,000 tonnes. Brazil produced 2.506 Million tonnes of crude steel, dropping by 9.5% when compared to 2.768 Million tonnes production achieved during March last year. The Chilean March crude steel production recovered sharply by over 26% to 105,000 tonnes in March this year. The total crude steel production by Colombia dropped marginally by 2.3% to 90,000 tonnes in March this year.

Ecuador’s crude steel output dropped significantly by 10.69% on year-on-year basis. The crude steel output by Ecuador was 50,000 tonnes in March this year, down when compared with 56,000 tonnes during March last year.  Paraguay’s crude steel output surged higher by 44.1% during the month.

The crude steel output by Peru dropped sharply by 24% year-on-year. The crude steel output of Uruguay dropped slightly when compared with the year before levels. Venezuelan production dropped considerably by 65% year-on-year from 170,000 tonnes to 60,000 tonnes.

The following table provides cumulative crude steel output for the first three months in 2016 in comparison with those during same period in 2015.

Note: Output in thousands of tonnes