Brazil posts rise in August steel production

Brazil's Steel Institute IBS has disclosed that the country's crude steel production rose 6.6 percent year on year to 2.81 million metric tons in August due to the strong domestic demand. In the first eight months of 2006, Brazil's crude steel production totaled 20.02 million metric tons, down 4.9 percent from the same period a year earlier. Brazil's rolled steel production rose 8.7 percent year on year to 2.13 million metric tons in August, while flat steel production grew 4.5 percent year on year to 1.31 million metric tons.