The price of Brazilian high-grade iron ore with 65 percent iron content is now $104/mt CFR China, up from $102/mt last week.
According to analysts, the increase reflects reduced iron ore and steel inventories in Chinese ports. Iron ore inventories declined by 0.74 percent on a weekly basis during the period.
The export price of blast furnace-grade pellets is now $117/mt, compared to $116/mt last week, CFR China. The premium relative to sinter feed fines remains the same.
The premium for Brazilian high-grade ore containing 65 percent iron relative to Australian ore containing 62 percent iron, based on iron content, declined from 5.3 percent to 5.2 percent. This reflects the similar level of interest among integrated producers in the performance of premium ores when processed in blast furnaces.
In the Brazilian domestic market, reference prices are now $78/mt for ore and $91/mt for pellets, up from $73/mt and $86/mt, respectively, ex-works and excluding taxes. These prices were also positively affected by lower Brazil-China freight rates because the domestic price in Brazil is based on the FOB quotation using CFR China as the reference.
During the week, the average iron ore freight rate from Brazil to China declined by $4/mt on the Tubarão-Qingdao route.
In May, Brazil exported a combined total of 35.1 million mt of iron ore and pellets. Preliminary information suggests a lower volume for June.