For the first time, Arcelor, Usiminas, and Gerdau are importing steel coils and plates to meet consumer demand in the domestic market. According to a market source, a ship with 9,500 tons of coils and steel plates came from China arrived on June 8th at the Port of Praia Mole (Vitória). According to data collected by ES Brasil production, Brazil’s steel production is 30 million tons/year, with the domestic market consuming 20 million tons/year. The rest is exported. With the domestic market overheated, the steel industry saw the need to import raw material to supply, the automobile, civil construction, and white goods sectors, which is why steel mills are importing steel from China. Specialized sources claim that: domestic consumption is overheated. Last year’s repressed demand returned with a vengeance this year and Brazilian production is not keeping up. Brazil has always been the largest steel producer in the world and for the first time is being forced to import.
Sources: ES Brasil/Datamar News