The Brazilian flats producer CSN has reduced exports of tinplates to the level of 7,000 mt per month this year, comparable to a monthly level of 11,000 mt in 2013.
A company officer told SteelOrbis that the move reflects the preference ascribed by the company to the domestic market, where average prices are more attractive.
CSN is the sole producer of tinplate in Brazil, with 1.0 million tons per year of production capacity.
According to the source, the last sales of tinplate by CSN in the domestic market were closed (CFR conditions) in the BRL3,600/mt to BRL3,800/mt range ($1,627/mt to $1,671/mt), while its exports of the product in July have fetched an average FOB $1,006/mt.