In the first quarter of this year, world stainless crude steel output moved down by 3.4 percent quarter on quarter to 15.77 million mt, while increasing by 2.5 percent year on year, according to the preliminary report released by the World Stainless Steel Association (worldstainless).
According to the data from wordstainless, in the given quarter stainless crude steel production moved up by 4.3 percent in China and increased by 3.3 percent in the Asia region, while rising by 2.3 percent in the US and dropping by 4.6 percent in Europe, all compared to the first quarter of 2025.
Stainless crude steel production (x 1,000 metric tons):
| Region | Quarter | ||
| 2025 - Q1 | 2026 – Q1 | Y-o-y change (%) | |
| Asia | 13,008 | 13,435 | +3.3 |
| China | 9,437 | 9,842 | +4.3 |
| European Union | 1,539 | 1,468 | -4.6 |
| United States | 553 | 566 | +2.3 |
| Others (Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, United Kingdom) | 286 | 305 | +6.7 |
| Total | 15,387 | 15,774 | +2.5 |
