Brazil’s local steel sales up by 0.7% in 2012

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Sales reached 21.58 million tonnes, up from 21.43 million tonnes in 2011, IABr said late on Friday January 18. 

At the end of November, the association said it expected sales to grow by 1.3% last year.

Steelmakers sold 11.31 million tonnes of flat steel and 9.74 million tonnes of long steel in 2012, increases of 0.4% and 1.1%, respectively.

Slab sales increased by 22.8%, to 249,000 tonnes, while shipments of billet and bloom fell by 13.5%, to 275,000 tonnes.

In December, steelmakers shipped 1.5 million tonnes of steel products domestically, down by 1.1% year-on-year.

Sales of flat steel rose by 6.3% in the month, to 854,900 tonnes, but long steel sales dropped by 9.2%, to 653,800 tonnes.

IABr expects domestic sales this year to return to the levels seen in 2008, reaching an estimated 23.39 million tonnes.