The South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI) has reported that in first nine months of 2007 sales of primary carbon steel products to South Africa's domestic market decreased by 1.6 percent year on year to 4.111 million metric tons.
Meanwhile, exports of primary carbon steel products in Jan-Sept 2007 amounted to 1.456 million metric tons, a decrease of 23.4 percent from a year earlier. Exports of flat carbon steel products accounted for 69.9 percent of total exports in the period in question, while exports of profile carbon steel products amounted to 30.4 percent of total exports.