Brazil’s crude steel production and domestic steel sales will increase by 6.7pc to 33mn mt, and 5.3pc to 20.3mn mt in 2021, respectively.
Steel consumption may also increase by 5.8pc to 22.4mn mt year-on-year in 2021, the Brazilian Steel Institute (Aço Brasil) indicated in a statement on Feb 22. However, the institute pointed out that the projections depended on the speed of vaccination against the COVID-19 virus, which will allow the country to return to normalcy.
In January, Brazil’s crude steel output rose by 10.8pc to 3mn mt from 2.71mn mt in the same month last year, Aço Brasil noted. Rolled steel production also increased by 6.6pc to 2.16mn mt from 2.03mn mt during the same period. Here’s a break up of the output and sales of various steel grades produced in Brazil during January.
| Products | January 2021 | January 2020 | pc change |
| Crude steel output | 3mn mt | 2.71mn mt | 10.8pc |
| Rolled steel output | 2.16mn mt | 2.03mn mt | 6.6pc |
| Flat steel output | 1.29mn mt | 1.22mn mt | 5.6pc |
| Long steel output | 873,000mt | 807,000mt | 8.1pc |
| Steel consumption | 2.21mn mt | 1.76mn mt | 25pc |
| Rolled domestic sales | 1.92mn mt
| 1.54mn mt | 24.9pc |
| Exports | 531,149mt | 1.10mn mt | -52pc |
| Imports | 324,474mt | 227,986mt | 42.3pc |
Flat steel sales
Brazilian flat steel distributors’ sales rose by 16.2pc to 324,600mt in January, from 279,400mt in the same month of the prior year, Brazil’s National Institute of Steel Distributors (Inda) indicated in a statement on Feb 23. Total flat steel product purchases also climbed by 13pc to 335,900mt from 297,300mt during this timeframe.
Flat steel inventory rose by 1.7pc to 686,900mt in January from 675,700mt in the same month last year while imports of the product climbed by 51.9pc to 161,400mt from 106,200mt during the same period, Inda pointed out.
Steel sales and purchases are expected to fall by 5pc in February compared to the previous month, Inda noted without disclosing the volume.