According to the Italian steel producers' association Federacciai, in May this year Italian crude steel output decreased by 3.3 percent year on year, totaling 2.568 million metric tons. May was the second consecutive month in which a decrease on year-on-year basis was observed.
In the first five months of the current year, Italy's total crude steel output reached 12.412 million mt, up 2.3 percent compared to the same period 2011.
Federacciai also released Italy's long and flat steel output data for April. Accordingly, in April Italy's long steel output declined 12.1 percent to 1.034 million metric tons, while its flat steel output rose by 0.2 percent to 1.294 million metric tons, both year on year.
On the other hand, in the first four months of 2012 Italy's long steel production amounted to 4.232 million metric tons, down 5.1 percent, while flat rolled product output increased by four percent to 5.497 million metric tons, both on year-on-year basis.
Compared to the corresponding period in the last pre-crisis year (2008), Italian crude steel production in January-May this year indicated a decline of 1.738 million metric tons.