Global crude steel production for April 2006

Data released by the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) show that global crude steel production rose 6.1 percent year on year to 99 million metric tons in April 2006. Total production in the Asia region amounted to 52.2 million metric tons, an increase of 12.9 percent from a year earlier. China produced 33.7 million metric tons in April, up 19 percent from a year earlier. Japan's production rose 0.3 year on year to 9.4 million metric tons. France's crude steel production rose 2.5 percent year on year to 1.8 million metric tons in April while the production in the UK increased 3.9 percent to 4.7 million metric tons. Brazil's crude steel production fell 12.4 percent year on year to 2.4 million metric tons in April.

Global crude steel production (in thousands of metric tons)

          April    March   April   %change        4 months     
           2006    2005    2005    Apr-06/05    2006     2005  %change   

Other
Europe     2.759    2.842   2.510     9.9      10.610   9.785    8.4     
EU (15)   14.482   15.002  14.549    -0.5      56.670  57.551   -1.5 
EU (25)   16.617   17.222  16.480     0.8      64.978  65.352   -0.6
C.I.S      9.540    9.859   9.726    -1.9      37.758  37.572    0.5
N.America 10.842   11.755  10.931    -0.8      43.857  43.459    0.9 
S.America  3.581    3.688   3.959    -9.5      14.221  15.082   -5.7 
Africa     1.427    1.324   1.511    -5.5       5.474   5.820   -6.0
MiddleEast 1.303    1.224   1.205     8.1       4.964   4.784    3.8
Asia      52.246   52.025  46.261    12.9     199.946 178.301   12.1
Ocenia       677      701     735    -8.0       2.797   2.840   -1.5
Total 62  98.992  100.639  93.319     6.1     384.604 362.995    6.0 
countries