According to the World Steel Association (worldsteel), in August this year the crude steel output of 62 countries surveyed across the globe reached 123.7 million mt, decreasing by 0.5 percent on year-on-year basis and down four percent compared to July this year. Total global crude steel production in the first eight months of the current year increased slightly by 0.6 percent compared to the same period of 2011, amounting to 1.02 billion mt.
In August, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 81.8 million mt, up by one percent, with 58.7 million mt produced by China, remaining stable, 9.2 million mt produced by Japan, up by three percent, and 5.7 million mt produced by South Korea, up by three percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-27 countries produced 12.2 million mt of crude steel in August this year, down four percent compared with August 2011. In August this year, Germany's output was 3.36 million mt, down by seven percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 1.2 million mt, down 16 percent year on year, Spain's crude steel output was 1.04 million mt, down 10 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output was 954,250 mt, down seven percent year on year.
Turkey produced 3.04 million metric tons of crude steel in August this year, with a nine percent increase over the same month in 2011. Meanwhile, Iran's crude steel production in August of the current year amounted to 1.1 million mt, while it did not register any crude steel output in August 2011.
The CIS registered a crude steel output of 9.1 million mt in August, down four percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.8 million mt, increasing two percent compared to August 2011, and Ukraine producing 2.66 million mt, down 13 percent on year-on-year basis.
In North America in August, crude steel output reached 10.2 million mt, up one percent year on year, with the US producing 7.5 million mt and Mexico producing 1.6 million mt, up one percent and three percent respectively on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in August amounted to 3.86 million mt, down by seven percent year on year, with Brazil's output totaling 2.8 million mt, down by six percent year on year.
In August this year, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 75.5 percent, decreasing from 79.4 percent recorded in July this year, and down 3.2 percentage points compared to the same month last year.