Italian domestic stainless steel registered a strong production increase in 2006, which was by far surpassed, however, by the boom experienced in apparent consumption of stainless in Italy during the same year.
According to the 2006 figures newly released by Centro Inox (Italian stainless steel development association), Italy's stainless steel output for the year increased to 1,531,850 mt, up 16 percent compared to 2005.
More impressively, Italy's apparent consumption of stainless steel in 2006 climbed 42.7 percent year on year to reach 1,777,458 mt. This latter figure means that per capita consumption of stainless steel in Italy reached 30.9 kg in 2006, up from 21.6 kg in 2005. Looking at the worldwide picture, only Taiwan has a higher level of per capita stainless consumption.