Brazil exported 522,800 mt of slab in July, 25.4 percent more than in June, at an average FOB price reduced by 1.8 percent to $420/mt.
ArcelorMittalTubarao was the top exporter with 285,200 mt at $429/mt, followed by Companhia Siderurgica do Pecem with 182,400 mt at $413/mt and ThyssenKrupp CSA with 55,200 mt at $393/mt, all FOB price deals probably closed in May.
The main destinations were the US (197,500 mt), Latin America (146,800 mt, of which 88,500 mt to Mexico), Asia (101,800 mt), Canada (40,100 mt) and the EU (36,400 mt).
A source linked to a local exporter told SteelOrbis that a range of $415/mt to $425/mt, FOB conditions for the basic commercial grades, is the current base of negotiations for the export of slab from Brazil.
The source added that prices are in an uptrend, derived chiefly from higher production costs, such as increasing iron ore prices. He added that the price should exceed $430/mt FOB in the short term.