Brazil imported 24,300 mt of heavy plates in May, 10.8 percent more than in April, according to the country’s ministry of development, industry and foreign trade, MDIC.
The product, with more than 10mm in thickness, fetched an average FOB price of $713/mt, slightly reduced from the $719/mt of April.
The main origin was Austria, which shipped 20,100 mt of a product with a special grade, not produced in Brazil, to the pipe producer Confab, linked to the Tenaris group, at $733/mt FOB.
Other origins were Indonesia (1,800 mt at $544/MT), India (1,200 mt at $408/mt) and South Korea (1,100 mt at $902/mt), all FOB conditions.
In the Brazilian domestic market, the country’s sole producer of plates Usiminas is selling the product of the basic commercial grades at the equivalent to $650/mt, FOB, full taxes except IPI, the same price in $ since mid-March, while a distributor in the south of the country says he is selling similar plates at BRL2,230/mt ($722/mt), FOB full taxes except IPI, stable in BRL since a seven percent increase in January 2015.
In May, Brazil exported 2,500 mt of heavy plates to Argentina at $937/mt, FOB, and 200 mt to Paraguay at $728/mt, same conditions.
1 US$ = BRL 3.08 (June 23)