Brazilian steel production and apparent steel consumption both increased during 2017, Kallanish learns from data issued by the local steelmakers’ association Instituto Aço Brasil (IAB).

Crude steel output totalled 34.36 million tonnes during the last year. This represented growth of 9.9% compared to 2016. In December alone, crude steel production reached 2.82mt, up 19.2% year-on-year.

The association notes that Company Siderúrgica do Pecém (CSP) began operations in the second half of 2016 and this supported the annual increase in crude steel output in 2017. The effect of this on the y-o-y performance will therefore be diluted as from January 2018, IAB adds. Without the effect of CSP`s performance, the cumulative increase totalled 5.64% last year. Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states represented more than 60% of total naional crude steel output in 2017, the association confirms.

In 2017, rolled products' production rose to 22.41mt, up 7.2% compared to 2016. During December, rolled products' output reached 1.77mt, or 26.6% more y-o-y.

Brazilian apparent steel consumption was 19.2mt in the last year, an increase of 5.3% compared to 2016.