In 2013, world stainless crude steel output increased by 7.8 percent year on year, amounting to 38.13 million mt, according to the preliminary report released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF). Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter of last year, world stainless crude steel output stood at 9.66 million mt, up 9.2 percent year on year and up 1.9 percent quarter on quarter.
According to the ISSF data, last year stainless crude steel production decreased by 4.3 percent in the Western Europe/Africa region, while stainless crude steel production increased by 18 percent in China, by 13.6 percent in Eastern Europe, by 3.6 percent in the Americas region and by 0.8 percent in the Asia region excluding China, all compared to 2012.
Stainless crude steel production (x 1,000 metric tons):
| Year | |||||
| 2011 | 2012 | Y-o-y change | 2013 (p) | Y-o-y change | |
| Region | (%) | (%) | |||
| Western Europe/Africa | 7,883 | 7,829 | -0.7 | 7,496 | -4.3 |
| Central/Eastern Europe | 391 | 359 | -8.2 | 408 | 13.6 |
| The Americas | 2,486 | 2,368 | -4.7 | 2,454 | 3.6 |
| Asia (w/o China) | 8,770 | 8,720 | -0.6 | 8,788 | 0.8 |
| China | 14,091 | 16,087 | 14.2 | 18,984 | 18.0 |
| World total | 33,621 | 35,363 | 5.2 | 38,130 | 7.8 |