Slab in the Brazilian domestic market is currently negotiated at the equivalent FOB price of $450/mt to $460/mt, against $425/mt to $435/mt one month ago, a local market source told SteelOrbis. The reference price range refers to the base commercial grades.
Sales in the domestic slab market in Brazil are currently estimated at 70,000 mt to 80,000 mt per month, limited in the buyer side to Usiminas only, as CSN and Gerdau have postponed fresh deals. Suppliers are Pecem and Ternium.
Usiminas, which has the steel producing area of its Cubatao plant idled and operating as a rolling plant since late 2015, also feeds on slab imported or produced by the company’s plant in Ipatinga.
According to Brazilian customs authorities, no imports of slab were registered by the country in May, June or July, following imports of 74,200 mt of slab from Russia by Usiminas between January and April 2019.
