Steel and Aluminium

Steel Imports in Brazil Reach Highest Level in History

Jun, 25, 2025 Posted by Sylvia Schandert

Week 202526

A longstanding challenge for Brazil’s steel industry, steel imports into the country continue to rise, reaching a record high in May. According to data from the Instituto Aço Brasil, the country imported 699.7 thousand tonnes during the month — the highest volume ever recorded in the institute’s historical series, which began in 2013.

For comparison, imports rose 24.8% year-over-year and increased 28.7% compared to the previous month.

The statistics show that China accounted for 428.5 thousand tonnes or 61.2% of Brazil’s total steel imports. Shipments from the Asian country jumped 53.9%, raising its share of Brazilian imports by 11.6 percentage points.

As of May, total steel imports in 2025 had reached 2.93 million tonnes, representing a 26.8% increase compared to the same period in 2024. China was the origin of 1.91 million tonnes or 51.9% of the total — a rise of 51.9% in volume and 10.8 percentage points in market share.

It is worth noting that since June 2024, Brazil has implemented a safeguard measure aimed at protecting the domestic steel industry by reducing external purchases. The mechanism, a quota-tariff system, has failed to produce the desired effect. Despite its inefficiency, the sector has requested its renewal from the federal government, arguing it is the bare minimum needed.

The trade barrier, which was set to expire last month, was extended for another 12 months under the same terms, including a 30% additional margin based on the average imports between 2020 and 2022. However, the updated measure added four more products to the list, increasing the number of steel types subject to a 25% surtax from 19 to 23.

Source: Diário do Comércio

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