For the third consecutive week, Brazilian slab producers are negotiating exports of the product of the basic commercial grades at $320/mt, FOB conditions, a local exporter told SteelOrbis.
The price has varied between $320/mt and $330/mt since early July, affected by a combination of factors, including the announced restart of a blast furnace by the local producer CSN, the start-up of a new, 3.0 million mt slab producer, Companhia Siderurgica do Pecem (CSP), the valuation of the local currency (BRL) next to the American Dollar, and the mixed signals received from the Chinese and international steel markets.
In July, ArcelorMittal Tubarao exported slab at $369/mt, ThyssenKrupp CSA at $349/mt and Gerdau Acominas at $326/mt, all FOB conditions, with price deals probably closed in May.