Global crude steel production in April this year increased by five percent year on year to 142.08 million metric tons, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel). In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 73.6 percent, up 2.5 percentage points compared to April 2016 and up 1.7 percentage points compared to March.
In the January-April period of this year, global crude steel production increased to 550.84 million mt, up 5.2 percent year on year.
In April this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 98.6 million mt, up 4.8 percent, with 72.8 million mt produced by China, up 4.9 percent, 8.75 million mt produced by Japan, increasing by three percent, 8.06 million mt produced by India, up 4.8 percent, and 5.48 million mt produced by South Korea, falling by 2.9 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.29 million mt of crude steel in April, up 6.1 percent year on year. In April, Germany's output was 3.84 million mt, rising by 8.1 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 1.98 million mt, down six percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.26 million mt, up 30.8 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 3.03 million metric tons of crude steel in April, with a 6.5 percent increase from April last year. Iran's crude steel production in April amounted to 1.73 million mt, up 15 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.44 million mt in April, falling 3.2 percent on year-on-year basis, with Russia producing 6.2 million mt, increasing by 4.3 percent, and Ukraine producing 1.57 million mt, down 28.6 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in April, crude steel output totaled 9.55 million mt, rising 2.9 percent, with the US producing 6.7 million mt, increasing by 1.8 percent, and Mexico producing 1.65 million mt, up 7.4 percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in April amounted to 3.63 million mt, up 22.1 percent from April last year, with Brazil's output totaling 2.89 million mt, increasing by 25.9 percent year on year.