Chapter 73 · Base metals

Iron or steel articles

In January–July 2026, Chile exported US$ 196 million of the goods in this chapter, 0.2% of everything it exported and 14% more than in the same months of 2025. The main destination was Mexico (17%), and the main region of origin, Metropolitana (43%). It imported US$ 925 million, 15% less than in the same months of 2025, mostly from China (63%).

Servicio Nacional de Aduanas · How it is measured

US$ 196 M
exported, January–July 2026 · +14% vs January–July 2025
US$ 925 M
imported, January–July 2026 · −15% vs January–July 2025
0.2%
of everything Chile exported · 1.8% of imports

Month by month

January 2025–August 2026
050100150200US$ MJan2025FebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovs/dDecJan2026FebMarAprMayJunJuls/dAug
050100150200US$ MJ2025FMAMJJASON·DJ2026FMAMJJ·A
ExportsImportsshaded: the months the figures above are read over

«s/d» is a month the Aduanas database does not carry, not a month without trade.

What is inside

January–July 2026

What is exported, by heading

Base metals 100%Iron or steel; articles, n.e.c. in chapter 7353%Tanks, casks,drums, cans,boxes and simila…15%Structures ofiron or steeland parts…6.8%Stranded wire,ropes, cables,plaited bands,…6.2%Screws,bolts, nuts,coach screws…4.0%Cloth(includi…endless…2.7%Stoves,ranges,grates,…Iron orsteel(excludin…1.9%Tubes, pipesand hollowprofiles,…Tube or pipefittings(e.g.…Chain andpartsthereof,…Reser…tanks,vats…0.8%Bar…wireof…Ironor…Tabl…
Base metals 100%Iron or steel;articles, n.e.c. inchapter 7353%Tanks, casks,drums, cans, boxesand similar…15%Structuresof iron orsteel and…6.8%Strandedwire,ropes,…6.2%Screws,bolts,nuts,…4.0%Cloth(inclu…endles…Stoves,ranges…Ironorsteel…Tubes,pipesand…Tubeorpipe…Cha…andpar…

What is imported, by heading

Base metals 100%Iron or steel; articles,n.e.c. in chapter 7326%Screws, bolts, nuts, coachscrews, screw hooks, rivets,cotters, cott…13%Structures of iron or steeland parts thereof; plates,rods, angles,…12%Iron or steel(excluding castiron); tubes,…6.8%Stoves, ranges,grates, cookers(those with…6.6%Tube or pipefittings(e.g.…5.6%Chain andpartsthereof, of…4.8%Table,kitchen,other…4.0%Iron orsteel;cast…3.0%Tubes,pipes andhollow…2.8%Strandedwire,ropes,…2.6%Railway ortramwaytrack…2.2%Containersforcompressed o…Sanitaryware andparts…Cloth(includi…endless…Iron orsteel(excludi…Springsandleaves…Tanks,casks,drums,…0.8%Nails,…Reservoir…Iro…
Base metals 100%Iron or steel;articles,n.e.c. in…26%Screws, bolts,nuts, coachscrews, screw…13%Structures ofiron or steeland parts…12%Iron orsteel(excludi…6.8%Stoves,ranges,grates,…6.6%Tube orpipefittings…5.6%Chainandparts…4.8%Table,kitche…other…4.0%Iron orsteel;cast…Tubes,pipes…Strandedwire,…Railwayor…Contai…forcompre…Sani…wareand…Cloth(incl…Ironor…Spri…and…Tanks…

With which countries

January–July 2026

Each line joins the start and a country this was sold to; it is a relationship, not a route. The other countries, pooled, and the codes that are not a country (free zones, ship stores) add up to US$ 20.3 million and have no line.

Each line arrives from the country where the goods were made; it is a relationship, not a route. The other countries, pooled, and the codes that are not a country (free zones, ship stores) add up to US$ 89.0 million and have no line.

Where exports go

  1. MexicoUS$ 33.5 million17%
  2. PeruUS$ 32.1 million16%
  3. ArgentinaUS$ 27.5 million14%
  4. BrazilUS$ 26.3 million13%
  5. EcuadorUS$ 16.7 million8.5%
  6. BoliviaUS$ 10.6 million5.4%
  7. ColombiaUS$ 6.5 million3.3%
  8. United StatesUS$ 5.9 million3.0%
  9. Costa RicaUS$ 5.5 million2.8%
  10. Dominican RepublicUS$ 4.2 million2.1%
  11. EgyptUS$ 3.8 million2.0%
  12. Côte d’IvoireUS$ 3.1 million1.6%
  13. OthersUS$ 20.3 million10%

Where imports come from

  1. ChinaUS$ 579 million63%
  2. United StatesUS$ 89.8 million9.7%
  3. GermanyUS$ 49.2 million5.3%
  4. IndiaUS$ 22.7 million2.5%
  5. SpainUS$ 20.6 million2.2%
  6. BrazilUS$ 17.8 million1.9%
  7. ItalyUS$ 17.7 million1.9%
  8. JapanUS$ 12.8 million1.4%
  9. ArgentinaUS$ 10.9 million1.2%
  10. Origins or destinations withheld for commercial or military reasonsUS$ 10.1 million1.1%
  11. PeruUS$ 8.3 million0.9%
  12. TürkiyeUS$ 7.3 million0.8%
  13. OthersUS$ 78.9 million8.5%

From which region

exports · January–July 2026
  1. MetropolitanaUS$ 83.6 million43%
  2. BiobíoUS$ 72.8 million37%
  3. Nationalised foreign goodsUS$ 29.6 million15%
  4. AtacamaUS$ 3.8 million1.9%
  5. AntofagastaUS$ 2.4 million1.2%
  6. ValparaísoUS$ 1.5 million0.8%
  7. TarapacáUS$ 926 thousand0.5%
  8. O'HigginsUS$ 396 thousand0.2%
  9. No region declaredUS$ 366 thousand0.2%
  10. AraucaníaUS$ 361 thousand0.2%
  11. Los LagosUS$ 112 thousand0.1%
  12. MauleUS$ 111 thousand0.1%
  13. AysénUS$ 23 thousand<0.1%
  14. MagallanesUS$ 20 thousand<0.1%
  15. Arica y ParinacotaUS$ 2 thousand<0.1%

The region the declaration names as the origin of the exports. An import declares no region.

Where it leaves and lands

January–July 2026
Port or crossingComunaLoaded (exports)%Unloaded (imports)%
San AntonioSan AntonioUS$ 50.6 million26%US$ 414 million45%
ValparaísoValparaísoUS$ 4.6 million2.4%US$ 149 million16%
AntofagastaAntofagastaUS$ 9.9 million5.1%US$ 98.6 million11%
Aeropuerto A.M. BenitezPudahuel——US$ 105 million11%
Los LibertadoresLos AndesUS$ 35.8 million18%US$ 18.5 million2.0%
Puerto AngamosMejillones——US$ 49.7 million5.4%
CoronelCoronelUS$ 37.3 million19%——
LirquénPenco——US$ 31.5 million3.4%
San VicenteTalcahuanoUS$ 23.8 million12%——
IquiqueIquique——US$ 16.4 million1.8%
ChacallutaAricaUS$ 15.9 million8.1%——
OllagueOllagüeUS$ 8.0 million4.1%——
Other portsUS$ 10.0 million5.1%US$ 41.9 million4.5%

The Chilean port where the exports were loaded and the imports unloaded: where the cargo passes, which is not always the office that processes it. The eight largest are named; the rest are in «other ports». Every port →

Exports, by transport

  1. Sea, river and lakeUS$ 129 million66%
  2. RoadUS$ 63.7 million33%
  3. AirUS$ 2.6 million1.3%
  4. Courier (air)US$ 693 thousand0.4%
  5. OtherUS$ 10 thousand<0.1%

Imports, by transport

  1. Sea, river and lakeUS$ 777 million84%
  2. AirUS$ 105 million11%
  3. RoadUS$ 31.3 million3.4%
  4. Courier (air)US$ 12.4 million1.3%
  5. OtherUS$ 35 thousand<0.1%
  6. PostUS$ 833<0.1%

Who processes it

January–July 2026
Customs officeRegion of its seatExports%Imports%
San AntonioValparaísoUS$ 50.5 million26%US$ 411 million44%
AntofagastaAntofagastaUS$ 21.7 million11%US$ 162 million18%
ValparaísoValparaísoUS$ 4.4 million2.3%US$ 149 million16%
MetropolitanaMetropolitanaUS$ 4.3 million2.2%US$ 105 million11%
TalcahuanoBiobíoUS$ 61.5 million31%US$ 47.4 million5.1%
Los AndesValparaísoUS$ 35.8 million18%US$ 21.9 million2.4%
AricaArica y ParinacotaUS$ 16.6 million8.4%US$ 6.0 million0.6%
IquiqueTarapacáUS$ 475 thousand0.2%US$ 16.5 million1.8%
Punta ArenasMagallanesUS$ 45 thousand<0.1%US$ 3.0 million0.3%
CoquimboCoquimbo——US$ 1.6 million0.2%
OsornoLos LagosUS$ 271 thousand0.1%US$ 845 thousand0.1%
AraucaníaAraucaníaUS$ 379 thousand0.2%US$ 130 thousand<0.1%
Puerto MonttLos LagosUS$ 4 thousand<0.1%US$ 278 thousand<0.1%
Puerto AysenAysénUS$ 44 thousand<0.1%——

The office is the branch of the Service that processed the declaration. An import is counted at the office that clears it.

From where to where

January–July 2026

What leaves: region of origin, customs office, destination

Region of originCustoms officeDestinationMetropolitanaUS$ 83.6 million · 43%BiobíoUS$ 72.8 million · 37%Nationalised foreign goodsUS$ 29.6 million · 15%AtacamaUS$ 3.8 million · 1.9%AntofagastaUS$ 2.4 million · 1.2%ValparaísoUS$ 1.5 million · 0.8%Other regionsUS$ 2.3 million · 1.2%Los AndesUS$ 35.8 million · 18%San AntonioUS$ 50.5 million · 26%TalcahuanoUS$ 61.5 million · 31%AricaUS$ 16.6 million · 8.4%AntofagastaUS$ 21.7 million · 11%Other officesUS$ 10.0 million · 5.1%ArgentinaUS$ 27.5 million · 14%ColombiaUS$ 6.5 million · 3.3%BrazilUS$ 26.3 million · 13%MexicoUS$ 33.5 million · 17%EcuadorUS$ 16.7 million · 8.5%PeruUS$ 32.1 million · 16%BoliviaUS$ 10.6 million · 5.4%OthersUS$ 42.8 million · 22%
Region of originCustoms officeDestinationMetropolit…43%Biobío37%Nationalis…15%Atacama1.9%Antofagasta1.2%Valparaíso0.8%Other regi…1.2%Los A…18%San A…26%Talca…31%Arica8.4%Antof…11%Other…5.1%Argentina14%Colombia3.3%Brazil13%Mexico17%Ecuador8.5%Peru16%Bolivia5.4%Others22%

What comes in: origin, transport, customs office

OriginTransportCustoms officeChinaUS$ 579 million · 63%United StatesUS$ 89.8 million · 9.7%GermanyUS$ 49.2 million · 5.3%IndiaUS$ 22.7 million · 2.5%SpainUS$ 20.6 million · 2.2%BrazilUS$ 17.8 million · 1.9%ItalyUS$ 17.7 million · 1.9%OthersUS$ 128 million · 14%Sea, river and lakeUS$ 777 million · 84%AirUS$ 105 million · 11%Courier (air)US$ 12.4 million · 1.3%RoadUS$ 31.3 million · 3.4%OtherUS$ 35 thousand · 0.0%ValparaísoUS$ 149 million · 16%San AntonioUS$ 411 million · 44%TalcahuanoUS$ 47.4 million · 5.1%AntofagastaUS$ 162 million · 18%MetropolitanaUS$ 105 million · 11%Other officesUS$ 50.2 million · 5.4%
OriginTransportCustoms officeChina63%United Sta…9.7%Germany5.3%India2.5%Spain2.2%Brazil1.9%Italy1.9%Others14%Sea, …84%Air11%Couri…1.3%Road3.4%Other0.0%Valparaíso16%San Antonio44%Talcahuano5.1%Antofagasta18%Metropolit…11%Other offi…5.4%

Every column adds up to the same total; the largest are named and the rest pooled into «others». Hover a ribbon to see how much it carries.

Its 26 headings

change against January–July 2025
CodeDescriptionExportschangeImportschange
73.26Iron or steel; articles, n.e.c. in chapter 73US$ 104 million+30%US$ 237 million−16%
73.18Screws, bolts, nuts, coach screws, screw hooks, rivets, cotters, cotter-pins, washers (including spring washers) and similar articles, of iron or steelUS$ 7.9 million+21%US$ 124 million−10%
73.08Structures of iron or steel and parts thereof; plates, rods, angles, shapes, sections, tubes and the like, prepared for use in structuresUS$ 13.3 million−16%US$ 113 million−13%
73.06Iron or steel (excluding cast iron); tubes, pipes and hollow profiles (not seamless), n.e.c. in chapter 73US$ 3.6 million+29%US$ 62.8 million−11%
73.21Stoves, ranges, grates, cookers (those with subsidiary boilers for central heating), barbecues, braziers, gas-rings, plate warmers and similar non-electric domestic appliances and parts, of iron or steelUS$ 5.1 million−11%US$ 60.7 million−1.0%
73.07Tube or pipe fittings (e.g. couplings, elbows, sleeves), of iron or steelUS$ 3.3 million+69%US$ 51.7 million−2.0%
73.15Chain and parts thereof, of iron or steelUS$ 2.6 million+14%US$ 44.6 million+8.8%
73.23Table, kitchen, other household articles and parts, of iron or steel; iron or steel wool; pot scourers and scouring or polishing pads, gloves and the like, of iron or steelUS$ 601 thousandUS$ 37.0 million−9.2%
73.10Tanks, casks, drums, cans, boxes and similar containers, for any material (excluding compressed or liquefied gas), of iron or steel, capacity not exceeding 300l, whether or not lined or heat-insulatedUS$ 30.0 million+2.4%US$ 7.5 million+1.6%
73.12Stranded wire, ropes, cables, plaited bands, slings and the like, of iron or steel, not electrically insulatedUS$ 12.1 million−22%US$ 24.2 million−24%
73.04Tubes, pipes and hollow profiles, seamless, of iron (other than cast iron) or steelUS$ 3.3 million+12%US$ 25.8 million−34%
73.25Iron or steel; cast articlesUS$ 733 thousandUS$ 27.7 million+72%
73.02Railway or tramway track constructions of iron or steel; rails, check and track rails, switch blades, crossing frogs, point rods, sleepers, fish-plates, chair wedges, sole plates, bedplates, ties and the likeUS$ 128 thousandUS$ 20.8 million−16%
73.14Cloth (including endless bands), grill, netting and fencing, of iron or steel wire; expanded metal of iron or steelUS$ 5.3 million+13%US$ 13.6 million−27%
73.11Containers for compressed or liquefied gas, of iron or steelUS$ 223 thousandUS$ 17.3 million−6.3%
73.24Sanitary ware and parts thereof, of iron or steelUS$ 444 thousandUS$ 14.7 million+13%
73.05Iron or steel (excluding cast iron); tubes and pipes (e.g. welded, riveted or similarly closed), having circular cross-sections, external diameter of which exceeds 406.4mm, not seamlessUS$ 244 thousandUS$ 12.2 million−78%
73.20Springs and leaves for springs, of iron or steelUS$ 214 thousandUS$ 9.9 million−15%
73.09Reservoirs, tanks, vats and similar containers; for any material (excluding compressed or liquefied gas), of iron or steel, capacity exceeding 300l, whether or not lined or heat insulatedUS$ 1.7 millionUS$ 6.4 million−70%
73.17Nails, tacks, drawing pins, corrugated nails, staples (not those of heading no. 8305) and the like, of iron or steel, with heads of other material or not, but excluding articles with heads of copperUS$ 203 thousandUS$ 6.6 million−27%
73.13Barbed wire of iron or steel; twisted hoop or single flat wire, barbed or not and loosely twisted double wire, of a kind used for fencing, of iron or steelUS$ 1.2 millionUS$ 1.8 million+2.0%
73.22Radiators for central heating, not electrically heated and parts thereof, of iron or steel; air heaters, hot air distributors not electrically heated, with motor fan or blowerUS$ 55 thousandUS$ 1.9 million−45%
73.01Iron or steel sheet piling, whether or not drilled, punched or made from assembled elements; welded angles, shapes and sections, of iron or steelUS$ 23 thousandUS$ 1.5 million−36%
73.03Tubes, pipes and hollow profiles, of cast ironUS$ 3 thousandUS$ 1.2 million
73.19Sewing and knitting needles, bodkins, crochet hooks, embroidery stilettos and similar articles, for use in the hand, of iron or steel; safety pins and other pins of iron or steel, not elsewhere specified or includedUS$ 188US$ 625 thousand−38%
73.16Anchors, grapnels and parts thereof, of iron or steelUS$ 43 thousandUS$ 461 thousand

A change is shown only where the same months of the year before added up to at least US$ 1.0 million.

How it is measured

Where the figures come from
Every export and import declaration the Servicio Nacional de Aduanas processed since January 2025, added up as Aduanas publishes them in its open databases. Nothing is estimated. They are amounts of trade, not PuroChile indicators, and they are never divided by census figures.
FOB and CIF
Exports are valued FOB («free on board»): what the goods are worth loaded on the ship, plane or truck that takes them out of Chile. Imports are valued CIF («cost, insurance and freight»): what they are worth on arrival in Chile, with insurance and freight paid. That is how Aduanas publishes them. So «exports less imports» is not the Central Bank's trade balance, which values imports without insurance or freight.
Which months
The figures at the top add up January–July 2026: the months of this year both databases already carry, against the same months of 2025. Aduanas replaces the running year's database every month, so this year's months can still be corrected. «s/d» on a chart is a month the database does not carry — not a month without trade.
Changes
A change is shown only where the same months of the year before added up to at least US$ 1.0 million.
The codes
Aduanas classifies every good with a code of the Arancel Aduanero, which is the international Harmonized System with two Chilean digits added: 2 digits are the chapter (74, copper), 4 the heading (74.03, refined copper), 6 the subheading (7403.11, cathodes) and 8 Chile's own tariff line. Names are the Arancel's; in English, the Harmonized System 2022's. Chile's Section 0 and its 8-digit lines have no English text and are shown in Spanish.
Port and customs office
The port is where the cargo physically passes: loaded for an export, unloaded for an import. The customs office is the branch of the Service that processes the declaration. They are not always the same place: the Aduana de Antofagasta processes what is loaded at Mejillones.
What is not here
Customs agents: every declaration names the agent who filed it, but Aduanas's open databases leave that field out, and PuroChile does not estimate it.
A month at zero
A month with no bar is one in which nothing was declared under this code; «s/d» is one the database does not carry.

Source: Servicio Nacional de Aduanas · How each figure is checked →