Gerdau foresees a gradual reduction in the volume of steel imported into Brazil throughout 2026 and rules out the closure of new production plants this year, after capacity adjustments made previously.
The assessment was made by Gerdau’s CEO, Gustavo Werneck, this Tuesday (24). .
According to the executive, the expectation of a lower entry of foreign steel is linked to the advancement of anti-dumping investigations conducted by the federal government, especially into products with a strong presence in the Brazilian market, such as hot-rolled coils and thick plates.
The company assesses that “technical” trade defense measures should become more robust over the coming months.
“These anti-dumping analyzes are in fact showing that there has been dumping by producers, especially the Chinese. This should translate into more robust mechanisms from now on, which makes us imagine that throughout 2026 we could already experience a slight reduction in and more from 2027, with the effectiveness of these mechanisms”, said Werneck.
In recent years, the entry of foreign steel has put pressure on domestic prices and reduced the capacity utilization of Brazilian plants. The steel sector defends the strengthening of trade defense mechanisms to preserve the competitiveness of the national industry.
Gerdau assesses that the main challenge in Brazil is not the lack of demand for steel, which remains at levels considered solid, but the pressure exerted by the increase in imports.
Despite the challenging scenario in the Brazilian market, the executive stated that he does not intend to close new production units this year. According to Werneck, the most difficult decisions have already been made, including the closure of production capacities and the reduction of work shifts.
The aim is to maintain the operation with the same production structure that ended in 2025, with a focus on productivity gains, cost reduction and improved competitiveness.
“So, our plan for 2026, at this moment, is that we continue operating with the plants with which we ended up producing at the end of 2025,” said Werneck.
While the Brazilian market faces greater external competition, companies have performed better than expected. The company benefits from being a local producer in the United States, where Section 232 tariffs, which restrict the entry of imported steel, are in force.
