Sales of flat steel products by Brazilian distributors declined to 302,800 mt, in June, from 312,000 mt in May, according to the sector institute INDA.
Purchases by distributors declined to 315,700 mt in June from 366,700 mt in May, resulting in an increase of inventories to 789,300 mt in June from 776,400 mt in May. The current level of inventories is now equivalent to 2.6 months of sales, a level still considered as safe in historical terms.
Imports by flat steel distributors in June declined to 115,000 mt, against 140,600 mt in May. Such import figures include heavy plates, HRC, CRC, zinc coated, HDG, pre-painted and Galvalume.
According to INDA, expectations for July are for distributor purchases increasing by 3 percent and sales increasing by 1.5 percent, as compared to June.
When compared to June 2021, sales in June 2022 increased by 1 percent, purchases declined by 9.1 percent, and imports declined by 49.1 percent.