Brazilian steel flats distributors’ April shipments fall 37.6% on year

Shipments by Brazilian independent flat steel distributors and service centers in April fell 37.6% year on year to 165,900 mt, recent data from Inda, the national flat products distributors association, showed.

Shipments fell 37.5% month on month, the data showed.

April’s domestic purchases from mills decreased 20.8% year on year to 179,100 mt, according to Inda. Domestic purchases fell 34.3% month on month.

Flat product inventories at the Brazilian distribution network amounted to 860,100 mt at the end of April, up 1.6% from the end of March, while the inventory-turnover average closed April at five months of supply, the data showed. Normal levels would be around three months of sale.

April flat steel imports by distributors totaled 56,500 mt, a 37.9% slump year on year. When compared to March, imports fell 3.5%.

For May, Inda expects shipments to increase about 5% and purchases from mills to decrease about 15% compared to April.

— Priscilla Antunes