Global crude steel production in October this year decreased by 3.1 percent year on year and was up by 2.1 percent month on month to 133.64 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 68.3 percent, 3.4 percentage points lower compared to October 2014 and down one percentage point compared to September this year.
In the January-October period of this year, global crude steel production decreased to 1.34 billion mt, down 2.5 percent year on year.
In October this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 90.73 million mt, down three percent, with 66.12 million mt produced by China, down 3.1 percent, 9 million mt produced by Japan, decreasing by 3.8 percent, 7.5 million mt produced by India, up 4.9 percent, and 5.83 million mt produced by South Korea, falling by 5.6 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.2 million mt of crude steel in October, down 3.8 percent year on year. In October, Germany's output was 3.64 million mt, rising by 2.7 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 1.87 million mt, down 8.6 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.17 million mt, down 20.9 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.77 million metric tons of crude steel in October, with a two percent decrease from the same month in 2014. Iran's crude steel production in October this year amounted to 1.4 million mt, down 4.4 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.3 million mt in October, down 0.7 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.68 million mt, decreasing by 2.4 percent, and Ukraine producing 2.05 million mt, up 6.4 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in October, crude steel output totaled 9.6 million mt, down 6.1 percent, with the US producing 6.74 million mt, decreasing by 8.8 percent, and Mexico producing 1.75 million mt, up eight percent, all year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in October amounted to 3.96 million mt, down 2.5 percent from October 2014, with Brazil's output totaling 3 million mt, decreasing by 2.3 percent year on year.