Seaborne hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports to Brazil declined in September, dragged down by an 83pc drop in shipments from China.
Total HRC imports into Brazil fell to 88,657 metric tonnes (t) in September, down from 105,022t a year earlier, customs data show.
South Korea delivered 45,626t to Brazilian ports, accounting for more than half of total imports.
Shipments from China dropped to 14,182t last month, from 85,791t a year earlier. China remains the largest seaborne HRC supplier to Brazil in 2025, despite the consistent volume decline since June.
Year-to-date import volumes of HRC rose to 848,413t, up by 63pc compared with the same period in 2024. Chinese HRC accounted for 421,650t of the total delivered to Brazilian ports from January to September.
Anti-dumping investigations into Chinese steel and tighter safeguard policies spurred importers and traders to find alternative suppliers.
Brazil's 25pc tariff quota policy, introduced in 2024, encouraged trade with Egypt thanks to a bilateral tariff relief agreement in place since 2017.
Egypt has risen to become Brazil's third-largest HRC supplier in 2025, delivering 108,265t year-to-date, up from 18,555t in 2024.
Imports of Italian HRC rose to 363t in September, up from 43t a year earlier, the data show. Brazil imported 123t of HRC from Turkey, compared with zero in the same month last year.
| Brazilian HRC exports | t | |||
| Country | Sep-25 | Sep-24 | Difference | ±% |
| South Korea | 45,626 | 313 | 45,313 | 14,477 |
| China | 14,182 | 85,791 | -71,609 | -83.5 |
| Egypt | 27,730 | 18,555 | 9,175 | 49.4 |
| Italy | 363 | 43 | 320 | 744.2 |
| Total | 88,657 | 105,022 | -16,365 | -15.6 |
| Source: Brazil's ministry of development, industry and foreign trade | ||||
