Global crude steel output up slightly in Jan-May

EU-27 countries produced 15.3 million mt of crude steel in May, down 5.5 percent compared with May 2011. In May this year, Germany's output was 3.7 million mt, down by 9.7 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.6 million mt, down 3.3 percent year on year, Spain's crude steel output was 1.3 million mt, down 13.9 percent year on year and France's crude steel output was 1.5 million mt, up 1.3 percent year on year.

Turkey produced 3.08 million metric tons of crude steel in May this year, with a 6.6 percent increase over the same month in 2011. Meanwhile, Iran's crude steel production in May this year amounted to 1.34 million mt, up 24.8 percent compared to May 2011.

The CIS registered a crude steel output of 9.3 million mt in May, down 2.9 percent year on year, with Russia producing 6.1 million mt, increasing 5.3 percent compared to May 2011, and Ukraine producing 2.6 million mt, down 15.3 percent on year-on-year basis.

In North America in May, crude steel output reached 10.6 million mt, up 6.2 percent year on year, with the US producing 7.67 million mt and Mexico producing 1.62 million mt, up 7.4 percent and 4.9 percent respectively on year-on-year basis.

Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in May amounted to 4 million mt, down by 10 percent year on year, with Brazil's output totaling 2.9 million mt, down by 11.7 percent year on year.

In May this year, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 79.6 percent, decreasing from 81.3 percent recorded in April this year, and down 1.4 percentage points compared to the same month last year.

The top 10 crude steel producing countries in the first five months of 2012 are as follows:

Tonnages (x 1,000 mt)