According to the Brazil Steel Institute (IABr), Brazilian crude steel production in the January-July period this year amounted to 19.68 million metric tons, 0.9 percent lower year on year. In the same period, Brazilian rolled steel output decreased by 4.7 percent to 14.54 million metric tons, including 8.21 million metric tons of flat products - down 5.2 percent, and 6.33 million metric tons of long products - down 4.1 percent, all on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, Brazilian steelmakers produced 2.93 million metric tons of crude steel in July of the current year, up 7.6 percent from June and up 0.5 percent year on year. Brazil's rolled steel product output totaled 2.03 million mt in July, increasing by 4.44 percent month on month, but down 8.7 percent year on year. Of this total, the country's flat steel output stood at 1.18 million mt, increasing by 2.8 month on month and down three percent year on year, while Brazil's long steel output amounted to 844,200 metric tons, increasing by 6.8 percent month on month and down 15.6 percent compared to July 2013.
Brazilian domestic steel sales decreased by 10.2 percent year on year in July this year to 1.74 million metric tons, while domestic sales in the first seven months totaled 12.47 million metric tons, decreasing by six percent year on year.
Brazil's exports of steel products in July amounted to 900,200 metric tons, rising by 92.2 percent, and were worth US$653.4 million, up 88.9 percent, both compared to July 2013. Steel product exports in the first seven months of the current year totaled 4.82 million mt, worth US$3.57 billion, with a decrease of 1.6 percent in volume and an increase of 6.9 percent in value compared to the corresponding period of 2013.
Meanwhile, the country's steel import volume in July increased by seven percent year on year to 408,700 metric tons (US$396.1 million), while total steel imports in the first seven months amounted to 2.39 million metric tons (US$2.48 billion), representing a 15.9 percent increase in volume from the same period last year.
