Steel rebar deliveries in Chile totaled 44,059 mt in June, up 31.9% from 33,411 mt in the same month in 2015, Chilean Construction Chamber data showed Tuesday.
Deliveries decreased 9.2% from the 48,526 mt shipped in May.
In January-June, Chile's rebar shipments totaled 265,097 mt, up 6.5% from the same period in 2015, with 249,031 mt.
Local sources said demand in the first half of 2016 had been low because of a lack of public and private investment in the construction sector, with reduced appetite for construction driven by higher taxes.
The Chilean rebar market is supplied by imports and two domestic producers: CAP Acero, which is currently operating one blast furnace and is capable of producing 700,000 mt/year of rebar and other bar, and Gerdau, a 470,000 mt/year longs maker.
