In the first quarter of this year, world stainless crude steel output increased by 1.17 percent quarter on quarter and was up 1.47 percent year on year, amounting to 10.37 million mt, according to the preliminary report released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF).
According to the ISSF data, in the first quarter of this year stainless crude steel production increased by 4.16 percent in China, by 14.6 percent in the Americas region, by 9.14 percent in the Asia region excluding China, while decreasing by 9.9 percent in the Central and Eastern Europe region and declining by 7.4 percent in the Western Europe and Africa region, all compared with the first quarter of 2014.
Stainless crude steel production (x 1,000 metric tons):
| Region |
| Q-o-q change |
| Y-o-y change (%) | ||
| 2015-Q1 | 2014-Q4 | (%) | 2015-Q1 | 2014-Q1 | ||
| Western Europe/Africa | 2,007 | 1,608 | 24.8 | 2,007 | 2,160 | -7.4 |
| Central/Eastern Europe | 64 | 64 | -0.0 | 64 | 71 | -9.9 |
| The Americas | 768 | 716 | 7.3 | 768 | 670 | 14.6 |
| Asia (excluding China) | 2,513 | 2,202 | 14.12 | 2,513 | 2,234 | 9.14 |
| 5,014 | 5,670 | -11.6 | 5,014 | 5,084 | 4.16 | |
| TOTAL | 10,366 | 10,259 | 1.04 | 10,366 | 10,219 | 1.44 |