Sources linked to Brazilian slab producers confirmed different views on the current prices for the export of the product of the basic commercial grades.
One of the sources mentioned $320/mt, FOB conditions, while the other mentioned a range of $330/mt to $340/mt, also FOB conditions, the same figure in the last two weeks.
According to analysts, the difference in prices derives from the quality of the slab produced by the new plants.
In August, ThyssenKrupp CSA exported its slab at $368/mt, ArcelorMittal Tubarao at $430/mt, and Gerdau Acominas at $421/mt, all FOB conditions.
CSP, the recently inaugurated slab producer in the northeastern state of Ceara, sent its first exports in August at $298/mt, also FOB conditions, a price probably linked to quality tests by clients in Turkey and Italy, rather than to market conditions.