According to the World Steel Association (worldsteel), in August this year the crude steel output of 64 countries surveyed across the globe reached 124.6 million mt, increasing by 9.8 percent on year-on-year basis. Total global crude steel production decreased 2.3 percent on month-on-month basis, from the 127.5 million mt recorded in July. Total global crude steel output in the first half of the year was 1.01 billion mt, up by 8.3 percent year on year.
In August, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 81.28 million mt, up by 12 percent, with 58.75 million mt produced by China, up by 13.8 percent, 8.9 million mt produced by Japan, up by 0.1 percent, 5.5 million mt produced by South Korea, up by 19.3 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-27 countries produced 12.7 million mt of crude steel in August, up 4.3 percent comparing with August 2010. Germany's output was 3.6 million mt, up by 5.3 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 1.4 million mt, up 25.6 percent year on year, and Spain's crude steel output was 1.1 million mt, down 7.6 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.8 million metric tons of crude steel in August this year, with a 7.8 percent increase over the same month in 2010, while Iran's crude steel output improved by 10.4 percent year on year, reaching an estimated figure of 1.05 million metric tons.
The CIS registered a crude steel output of 9.45 million mt in August, up 5.3 percent year on year, with Russia producing an estimated figure of 5.85 million mt, up by 3.4 percent, and Ukraine producing an estimated figure of 2.8 million mt, up 5.3 percent on year on year basis.
In North America in August, crude steel output reached 10.49 million mt, up 12.8 percent year on year, with the US producing 7.5 million mt and Mexico producing an estimated figure of 1.7 million mt, up 13.8 percent and 21.2 percent respectively on year on year basis.
Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in August reached 4.1 million mt, up by 4.8 percent year on year, with Brazil's output reaching 2.96 million mt, up by 1.5 percent year on year.
In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 77.5 percent, down by 2.1 percentage points month on month, and also up 3.5 percentage points compared to the same month last year.