Steel production in Brazil increased in the first five months of this year reflecting the reactivation of consumer industries and normalization in supply and demand, the Brazilian Steel Institute (Aço Brasil) reported.
Of all steel products, Brazilian rolled steel output grew the most, rising by 29.7pc to 11.1mn mt in January-May compared to 8.5mn mt in the same period last year. Rolled steel production increased by 70.9pc in May to 2.4mn mt from 1.4mn mt in the same month last year.
Aço Brasil noted that flat steel output increased by 30.6pc in the first five months of this year to 6.5mn mt from 4.9mn mt in January-May 2020. In May it increased by 92.6pc to 1.4mn mt from 754,000mt the same month in 2020.
Long steel production increased by 28.4pc between January and May to 4.5mn mt against 3.5mn mt in January-May 2020 and last month, it grew by 46.8pc to 996,000mt from 678,000mt in May 2020.
Crude steel production increased by 20.3pc in January-May 2021 to 14.9mn mt compared to 12.4mn mt in the same period last year. In May, raw steel output grew by 40.1pc to 3.1mn mt from 2.2mn mt from May 2020.
Marco Polo de Mello Lopes, executive president, of Aço Brasil, explained that the Brazilian steel industry’s output and demand have reached pre-pandemic levels in response to an active consumer market as well as the actions taken by some companies to defend themselves against the volatility of the steel market.