Global crude steel output stable in third quarter

According to the World Steel Association (worldsteel), in September this year the crude steel output of 62 countries surveyed across the globe reached 123.6 million mt, increasing by 0.6 percent on year-on-year basis and stable compared to August this year. Total global crude steel production in the third quarter of the current year stayed almost unchanged with an increase of just 0.4 percent compared to the same period of 2011, amounting to 376 million mt.

In the third quarter, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 246.9 million mt, up by 1.9 percent, with 178.3 million mt produced by China, up by 2.1 percent, 27.3 million mt produced by Japan, up by 1.1 percent, and 17.1 million mt produced by South Korea, up by 2.75 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.

EU-27 countries produced 40.4 million mt of crude steel in the third quarter, down 4.6 percent compared with the third quarter of 2011. In the period in question, Germany's output was 10.5 million mt, down by 3.7 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 6 million mt, down 10 percent year on year, and Spain's crude steel output was 3.2 million mt, down 6.2 percent year on year.

Turkey produced 9.2 million metric tons of crude steel in the third quarter of this year, with a 6.65 percent increase over the same period in 2011. Meanwhile, Iran's crude steel production in March this year amounted to 3.3 million mt.

The CIS registered a crude steel output of 28 million mt in the third quarter, up 0.7 percent year on year, with Russia producing 18 million mt, increasing 7.4 percent compared to July-September 2011, and Ukraine producing 8 million mt, down 9.8 percent on year-on-year basis.

In North America in the third quarter, crude steel output reached 30.1 million mt, down slightly by 0.2 percent year on year, with the US producing 22 million mt and Mexico producing 4.4 million mt, down 0.35 percent and 3.15 percent respectively on year-on-year basis.

Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in the third quarter amounted to 11.4 million mt, down by 7.7 percent year on year, with Brazil's output totaling 8.7 million mt, down 3.5 percent year on year.

On the other hand, in September this year, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 77.7 percent, up by 2.2 percentage points compared to August this year, and down 2.5 percentage points compared to the same month last year.

The top 10 crude steel producing countries in September 2012 are as follows:

Tonnages (x 1,000 mt)