In the fourth quarter of this year, world stainless crude steel output increased by 0.85 percent quarter on quarter and was up 4.9 percent year on year, amounting to 10.25 million mt, according to the preliminary report released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF). Meanwhile, in the whole of 2014, world stainless crude steel output increased by 8.3 percent year on year to 41.68 million mt.
According to the ISSF data, in 2014 stainless crude steel production increased by 14.3 percent in China, by 14.6 percent in the Americas region, by one percent in the Western Europe and Africa region and by 0.6 percent in the Asia region excluding China, while decreasing by 6.3 percent in the Central and Eastern Europe region, all compared to 2013.
Stainless crude steel production (x 1,000 metric tons):
Region |
| Q-o-q change |
| Y-o-y change (%) | ||
2014-Q3 | 2014-Q4 | (%) | 2013 | 2014 | ||
Western Europe/Africa | 1,682 | 1,608 | -4.4 | 7,496 | 7,570 | 1.0 |
Central/Eastern Europe | 70 | 64 | -8.57 | 296 | 277 | -6.3 |
The Americas | 711 | 716 | 0.7 | 2,454 | 2,813 | 14.6 |
Asia (excluding China) | 2,374 | 2,202 | -7.2 | 9,276 | 9,333 | 0.6 |
China | 5,336 | 5,670 | 6.26 | 18,984 | 21,692 | 14.3 |
TOTAL | 10,173 | 10,259 | 0.8 | 38,506 | 41,686 | 8.3 |