The Brazilian Steel Institute (IBS) announced Tuesday that both Brazilian crude steel production and steel sales were up in September 2007 compared to the same month of the previous year.
In September 2007 Brazilian steel production increased by four percent from September 2006, while domestic steel sales in Brazil increased by 18 percent compared to September 2006, the industry group reported in a statement.
Flat steel sales grew by 16.9 percent to a total of one million tons in September 2007, reflecting the strength in the automotive industry, machine, and agricultural industries among others, the group said.
During the same period, sales of long products grew by 19.6 percent, reaching 685,000 tons due to the positive performance of the residential construction sector.
Meanwhile, Brazilian flat rolled exports dropped 49 percent year on year in September to 272,900 tons due to the industry's focus on domestic sales, the IBS said.