Brazil exported 386,200 mt of slabs in November, 24 percent less than in October, but at a price 4.5 percent higher, $491/mt, the country’s ministry of development, industry and foreign trade, MDIC, said.
A major exporter told SteelOrbis that $480/mt is the current basis for negotiation for slabs of the base commercial grades, a price that should be reflected in the exports of December and January.
ArcelorMittal Tubarao exported 181,300 mt at $486/mt, while ThyssenKrupp CSA exported 154,664 mt at $497/mt and Gerdau Acominas exported 48,600 mt at $491/mt.
The main destinations were the US (up 3 percent to 205,500 mt), Europe (down 4.1 percent to 104,300 mt) and Asia (down 61 percent to 60,900 mt), while 15,400 mt were shipped by Tubarao to Algeria.
Under current contracts, Tubarao and CSA are exporting part of their production of slabs to the Alabama rolling plant, acquired by ArcelorMittal, Nippon Steel and Sumitomo from ThyssenKrupp.
Tubarao has recently restarted a blast furnace that has its pig iron production earmarked to feed the slab production destined to the Alabama rolling plant.