The Brazilian slab export reference price now stands at $577 per metric ton (mt), down from $580/mt over the previous three weeks, under FOB conditions for basic commercial grades. Insiders told SteelOrbis the price declined amid ongoing competition between domestic and export demand.
The reference has returned to its March 2026 level but remains among the highest in a one-year period, after reaching a peak of $605/mt in April 2026.
Preliminary data from Secex, the foreign trade secretariat of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, shows that Brazil's slab exports in July are expected to match the 642,200 mt shipped in June.
Three shipments were identified during the period at an average price of $630/mt FOB, including quality-related price extras.
Market participants remain optimistic that HRC imports from China will be included among products subject to antidumping duties, as CRC and coated flat products already are. This supports expectations of higher slab prices, to be used as feedstock to produce HRC and replace imported material in Brazil.
