According to the Brazil Steel Institute (IABr), Brazilian crude steel production in December last year amounted to 2.15 million metric tons, with a 12.7 percent decrease year on year. In the same month, Brazilian rolled steel output decreased by 7.6 percent to 1.39 million metric tons compared to the same month of 2015.
Meanwhile, Brazilian steelmakers produced 30.21 million metric tons of crude steel in 2016, down 9.2 percent year on year. Brazil's rolled steel product output totaled 20.89 million mt in the given year, down 7.7 percent year on year.
Brazilian domestic steel sales increased by 10.9 percent year on year in December to 1.24 million metric tons, while domestic sales in 2016 totaled 16.52 million metric tons, decreasing by 9.1 percent year on year.
Brazil's exports of steel products in December amounted to 1.29 million metric tons, falling by 17 percent, with a value of $569.1 million, up 4.2 percent, both on year-on-year basis. Steel product exports in 2016 totaled 13.43 million mt, worth $5.59 billion, with a decrease of 2.1 percent in volume and a fall of 15 percent in value compared to 2015.
Meanwhile, the country's steel import volume in December amounted to 200,700 metric tons, increasing 74.5 percent, with a value of $151.9 million, up 5.9 percent, both year on year. Brazil’s total steel imports in 2016 came to 1.88 million metric tons, representing a 41.4 percent decrease in volume from the previous year, while the value of these imports in the given period totaled $1.68 billion, falling by 45.9 percent year on year.