This summer, French crude steel production amounted to 1,290,200 metric tons in July, rising by 16.3 percent, and totaled 858,400 metric tons in August, up 4.2 percent, both compared to the corresponding months of 2009. Meanwhile, the month-on-month decrease rates were recorded at 11.45 percent and 33.47 percent respectively, according to the data provided by the French Steel Federation (FFA). In May, French crude steel output reached its peak level for this year and has continued to decline since then.
In July and August, steel production in France using electric arc furnaces (EAF) rose 5.8 percent and 70.2 percent respectively, reaching 454,400 metric tons and 149,900 metric tons, while steel production with blast furnace (BF) technology totaled 835,800 metric tons in July, up 22.8 percent, and 708,500 metric tons in August, down 3.7 percent, all compared to the year-ago period.
Meanwhile, in the first eight months of 2010, crude steel production in France stood at 10.37 million metric tons, increasing by 33.1 percent as compared with the corresponding period of 2009. In the period in question, production using EAFs increased by 5.7 percent, while BF steel production rose 53.3 percent, reaching 3,500,050 metric tons and 6,868,600 metric tons respectively, both compared to January-August 2009.
The FFA also noted that domestic crude steel production in the first eight months of the year was 20.6 percent below the January-August 2008 production figures.