According to the preliminary figures released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF), global stainless crude steel production decreased in the first half of 2009 by 26.7 percent compared to the same period of 2008 to 10.8 million metric tons. All major regions showed lower production volumes in the first half of 2009. Only China reported an increased production volume during the period.
Excluding China, stainless steel production in the Asia region declined by 34 percent to approximately 3 million metric tons in the first half of 2009. All stainless producing countries except China were affected. Reductions in production volume ranged from 10 to 50 percent depending on the country. However, China increased its stainless steel production in the period in question by 5.3 percent to 4.1 million metric tons. China now accounts for almost 40 percent of the world's total stainless steel production.
Western Europe/Africa reported a 40.5 percent decrease in stainless steel production during the first six months of 2009. Total output was 2.9 million metric tons in this period, down from 4.9 million metric tons for the first half of 2008.
In the Americas region, stainless crude steel production declined by 40.6 percent to 0.8 million metric tons in the first half of 2009. In the same period, production in the Eastern Europe region showed a decrease of 48.6 percent year on year to just 100,000 metric tons, an almost negligible volume.
The ISSF states that a comparison of the first and second quarters of 2009 indicates that a significant recovery in stainless steel production may have begun. All regions, except Eastern Europe and the Americas, showed strongly increased production volumes in the second quarter. In Asia and China the increase in the second quarter was almost 30 percent above first quarter production. Western Europe and Africa reported a 20 percent increase in the same period.
A comparison of the market share of each of the main stainless steel grades shows there has been a recovery in the market share of austenitic steels (300 series) compared to the levels of 2008. The market share of ferritic grades has fallen, mainly due to the global decline in automotive production, typically a strong market for 400 series grades. The market share of chromium-manganese steels (200 series) has increased a little, largely due to an improved domestic market in China.
Stainless and heat-resisting crude steel production (in 1,000 metric tons) | ||||||
Region | First Half Year | Yearly change (%) | Quarter | Quarterly change (%) | ||
2008 | 2009 | 1/2009 | 2/2009 | |||
4,865 | 2,894 | -40.5 | 1,314 | 1,58 | 20.03 | |
Eastern Europe | 194 | 100 | -48.6 | 50 | 50 | 0.4 |
Americas | 1,394 | 829 | -40.6 | 410 | 418 | 1.9 |
Asia (excluding China) | 4,484 | 2,959 | -34.0 | 1,289 | 1,67 | 29.6 |
3,861 | 4,067 | 5.3 | 1,769 | 2,298 | 29.6 |