In December, Brazil exported 149,084 mt of finished steel products at $124.888 million and imported 139,544 mt at $112.466 million.
This compares to exports of 112,192 mt at $93,978 million and imports of 248,937 mt at $184.192 million in November.
For the total of 2024, exports have reached 1.490 million mt at $1.281 billion and imports have reached 3.524 million mt at $2.09 billion.
Coated flat products were the main item imported in December, representing 50 percent of the total, while rebars were the main item exported, representing 25 percent of the total.
In terms of volume, the Brazilian finished steel balance reached a surplus of 9,540 mt in December against a deficit of 136,744 mt in November.
Although small, this surplus is the first achieved during 2024, ascribed by analysts to the devaluation of the BRL in relation to the USD, leading importers to postpone the clearing customs process of material stockpiled in ports in the hope of a more favorable exchange rate in the coming months.