SÃO PAULO — Steel sales in the Brazilian market increased by 2.5 percent year on year in November, according to data from domestic steel association IABr.

Sales—including semifinished and finished products—totaled about 1.77 million tonnes, compared with approximately 1.72 million tonnes in the same month last year.

Brazilian mills exported 788,500 tonnes of steel goods in November, down 2.8 percent from the corresponding month last year, while steel imports declined 16.3 percent to 279,200 tonnes.

Between January and November, Brazil’s steel sales rose 0.9 percent year on year to 20.04 million tonnes, according to IABr data.

Steel exports fell 9.6 percent in the same comparison to 8.96 million tonnes.

Steel imports increased 2.7 percent during the period to 3.52 million tonnes from 3.42 million tonnes.

IABr recently revised its forecast downward for the local steel industry for 2012. Sales to the national market are now expected to reach 21.7 million tonnes vs. a previous estimate of 22.95 million tonnes, while exports are estimated at 9.7 million tonnes compared with 10.92 million tonnes previously.

Meanwhile, steel imports are predicted to increase 0.9 percent to 3.8 million tonnes against an earlier forecast of a 3.8-percent decline to 3.64 million tonnes.

A version of this article was first published by AMM sister publication Steel First.