According to the World Steel Association (worldsteel), in July this year the crude steel output of 64 countries surveyed across the globe reached 127.5 million mt, increasing by 11.5 percent on year-on-year basis. Total global crude steel production decreased 0.7 percent on month-on-month basis, from the 128.3 million mt recorded in June. Total global crude steel output in the first half of the year was 886.9 million mt, up by 8.3 percent year on year.
In July, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 82.19 million mt, up by 13 percent, with 59.3 million mt produced by China, up by 15.5 percent, 9.1 million mt produced by Japan, down by 1.2 percent, 5.65 million mt produced by South Korea, up by 21.7 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-27 countries produced 14.6 million mt of crude steel in July, up 5.9 percent comparing with July 2010. Germany's output was 3.67 million mt, up by 5.7 percent year on year, Italy's estimated crude steel output was 2.6 million mt, up 14.5 percent year on year, and Spain's crude steel output was 975,000 mt, down 1.9 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.9 million metric tons of crude steel in July this year, with a 19.3 percent increase over the same month in 2010, while Iran's crude steel output improved by 26.6 percent year on year, reaching an estimated figure of 1.08 million metric tons.
The CIS registered a crude steel output of 9.45 million mt in July, up 9.7 percent year on year, with Russia producing an estimated figure of 9.5 million mt, up by 8.1 percent, and Ukraine producing an estimated figure of 2.73 million mt, up 10.3 percent on year-on-year basis.
In North America in July, crude steel output reached 10.54 million mt, up 11.1 percent year on year, with the US producing 7.46 million mt and Mexico producing an estimated figure of 1.74 million mt, up 10.2 percent and 26.4 percent respectively on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in June reached 4.3 million mt, up by 12 percent year on year, with Brazil's output reaching 3.1 million mt, up by 8.2 percent year on year.
In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 79.7 percent, down by 3.4 percentage points month on month, and also up 4.9 percentage points compared to the same month last year.