The Brazilian production of crude steel reached 2.673 mt in April 2026, comparable to 2,645 million mt in April 2025, according to the Brazilian steel institute IABR.
On a comparable basis, rolled product output dropped by 7.1 percent to 1.869 million mt, with the production of flat products declining by 7.9 percent to 1.077 million mt and the production of long products declining by 6.1 percent to 792,000 mt.
Similarly, domestic sales of steel products increased by 7.1 percent to 1.797 million mt and the apparent consumption of steel products declined by 2.7 percent to 2.100 million mt, while exports increased by 62.4 percent to 1.054 million mt and imports declined by 33.3 percent to 363,000 mt.
In May, the Steel Industry Confidence Index (ICIA), which measures confidence among executives in Brazil’s steel sector, rose to 59.9 points from 51.7 points in April. This was its highest level since October 2024 and indicates optimism, as it remained above the 50-point line that separates optimism from pessimism.
Such index, according to IABR, reflects mainly expectations for the next six months in relation to the domestic economy, with such index measured at 61.5 points, while the index that measures the current conditions has reached 56.7 points.
