Brazil exported 2,700 mt of heavy plate to South American countries in August, down sharply from July's 21,100 mt, amid a lack of shipments to the US and Europe, according to data from SECEX, the foreign trade secretariat of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
ArcelorMittal shipped 1,800 mt at $543/mt, Usiminas 800 mt at $876/mt, and CSN 100 mt at $794/mt, all on an FOB basis.
Brazil also imported 15,300 mt of heavy plate in August, down from 31,900 mt in July.
Imports came from Austria (14,500 mt at $870/mt), China (500 mt at $749/mt), and other European countries (300 mt at $848/mt), all under FOB terms.
Brazil's heavy plate imports typically comprise special steel grades that are not made domestically because producing them at the required scale is not economically viable.