Italian crude steel production fell by 16.3 percent in May compared to the same month of 2019, amounting to 1,855 million mt, according to the latest data released by Federacciai, the Italian steel producers' association. However, crude steel output in May was higher compared to the months of March and April this year, thanks to the easing of the Covid-19 lockdown measures.
In the first five months this year, Italian crude steel output amounted to 8.263 million mt, down 21.1 percent compared to the same period last year.
Taking into consideration the flat and long product categories, in May the production of longs was visibly higher than that of flat products, amounting to 1.061 million mt, i.e., down 9.7 percent year on year. The output of flats in May, due to the crisis in the automotive market and the problems at the former Ilva plant, totaled only 681,000 mt, decreasing by 39.3 percent year on year.
In the first five months of the current year, the production of longs stood at 4.219 million mt, recording a drop of 22.2 percent compared to the same period of last year, while production of flats amounted to 4.013 million mt, down 22.9 percent year on year.
