In the second quarter of this year, world stainless crude steel output increased by 4.9 percent quarter on quarter and by 14.1 percent year on year, amounting to 10.72 million mt, according to the preliminary report released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF). Meanwhile, in the first half of this year, world stainless crude steel output increased by 10.6 percent year on year, amounting to 20.94 million mt.
According to the ISSF data, in the half of this year stainless crude steel production increased by 16.7 percent in China, by 16 percent in the Americas region, by four percent in the Western Europe and Africa region and by three percent in the Asia region excluding China, while decreasing by 5.4 percent in the Central and Eastern Europe region, all compared with the first half of 2013.
Stainless crude steel production (x 1,000 metric tons):
| Region | Change q-o-q (%) | Change y-o-y (%) | ||||
| Q1 2014 | Q2 2014 | H1 2013 | H1 2014 | |||
| Western Europe/Africa | 2,161 | 2,111 | -2.3 | 4,108 | 4,273 | 4 |
| Central and Eastern Europe | 71 | 72 | 0.8 | 151 | 143 | -5.4 |
| The Americas | 670 | 717 | 7 | 1,195 | 1,386 | 16 |
| Asia (excluding China) | 2,234 | 2,216 | -0.8 | 4,319 | 4,450 | 3 |
| China* | 5,084 | 5,603 | 10.2 | 9,159 | 10,687 | 16.7 |
| World total | 10,220 | 10,718 | 4.9 | 18,932 | 20,938 | 10.6 |