[Ferro-Alloys.com] Ferbasa's 2024 Ferro-Alloy Output Falls Amid Weak Global Steel Demand

Ferbasa’s 2024 ferro-alloy production and sales decline due to weak steel demand, low prices, and domestic market pressure.

Brazilian producer faces falling prices, lower domestic sales, and volatile quarterly output across chromium and silicon alloys.

Ferbasa, Brazil’s leading ferro-alloy producer, reported a 1.5% year-on-year decline in total ferro-alloy production for 2024, falling to 301,208 tonnes, driven by a broader slowdown in global steel production and weak domestic demand. The company supplies various ferro-alloys including high- and low-carbon ferro-chrome, ferro-silicon, and ferro-silicon chromium to the steel industry.

While silicon alloy production rose 6% for the year to 99,836 tonnes, chromium alloy output declined slightly by 0.5% to 201,372 tonnes. However, Q4 chromium output fell 3.6% year-on-year to 51,513 tonnes, dragging total output lower for the quarter.

Quarterly Swings and Domestic Market Weakness Pressure Performance

Ferbasa saw Q4 silicon alloy production grow 9.7% year-on-year, but it dropped 21.3% compared to Q3, indicating quarterly volatility. A 6.2% increase in Q4 chromium production helped offset the silicon alloy decline.

Total ferro-alloy sales in 2024 declined 1.8% to 268,623 tonnes, with domestic sales down 8.3%, affected by rising steel imports that undercut local steel output. A 5.3% increase in exports, led by a 12.5% rise in chrome alloy exports, offered partial relief. Silicon alloy exports remained flat year-on-year.

Ferro-Alloy Prices Decline, Revenue Drops 8.1%

Despite stable export volumes, Ferbasa’s net revenue fell 8.1%, due mainly to a 7.6% drop in ferro-alloy segment revenue. This was driven by an 11.6% fall in average dollar prices for ferro-alloys.

The company blamed the pricing pressure on reduced stainless steel production in China, subdued global economic activity, and ongoing U.S. anti-dumping investigations that caused market caution around silicon alloy pricing.

Ferbasa remains exposed to volatile pricing cycles, international trade tensions, and macroeconomic headwinds, which may continue to pressure Brazil’s ferro-alloy sector in 2025.

• [Editor:tianyawei]