Global crude steel production in January this year decreased by 2.9 percent year on year, amounting to 133.1 million metric tons, while a slight decrease of 0.4 percent was observed on month-on-month basis, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel). In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 72.5 percent, 4.4 percentage points lower compared to January 2014 and 0.4 percentage points lower compared to December 2014.
In January this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 89.4 million mt, down 3.9 percent, with 65.5 million mt produced by China, down 4.7 percent, 9.02 million mt produced by Japan, down four percent, 7.07 million mt produced by India, up 0.3 percent, and 5.8 million mt produced by South Korea, down five percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.44 million mt of crude steel in January, down by 1.1 percent year on year. In January, Germany's output was 3.7 million mt, up 0.5 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 1.88 million mt, down 11.3 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.3 million mt, down 10.6 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.58 million metric tons of crude steel in January, with a 10.4 percent decrease from the same month in 2014.
Iran's crude steel production in January this year amounted to 1.4 million mt, up 19.7 percent compared to January 2014.
The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.52 million mt in January of the current year, down 3.1 percent year on year, with Russia producing 6.13 million mt, increasing six percent, and Ukraine producing 1.87 million mt, down 25.2 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in January, crude steel output totaled 10 million mt, down 1.3 percent year on year, with the US producing 7.35 million mt and Mexico producing 1.55 million mt, up 0.4 percent and declining by six percent, respectively, on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in January amounted to 3.88 million mt, up 6.8 percent from January 2014, with Brazil's output totaling 2.96 million mt, up 7.7 percent year on year.