SteelOrbis Shanghai
After the snowstorm which hit China earlier this year, the country's steel production began to recover as of the month of March. However, in the overall first quarter, the steel production of many mills in China registered a decrease compared to the same quarter of previous years.
During the first quarter of this year, China's 69 large and medium-sized mills produced 100.383 million metric tons of raw steel, an increase of 7.3641 million metric tons or 7.9 percent year on year. This raw steel production figure accounts for 78.9 percent of the national total output, a share which is up 1.2 percent in comparison with the same period of last year.
In the period in question, the steel plants which recorded the highest steel production levels were as follows: Baosteel with 7.3799 million metric tons of raw steel, Tangshan Iron and Steel Group with 6.0828 million metric tons, Anben Group with 6.023 million metric tons and Shagang Group with 5.8195 million metric tons. Total production of these four mills reached 25.3052 million metric tons, i.e. 25.2 percent of the whole nation's raw steel output.
Meanwhile, the top three mills in terms of most rapid production growth rates during Q1 were: Shandong Province-based Rizhao Group with 25612 million metric tons, an increase of 70.74 percent compared to Q1 2007; Tangshan Guofeng Group with 1.7043 million metric tons, up 48.1 percent; and Shanxi Zhongyang Co. with 374,300 metric tons, up 47.65 percent.
23 steelmakers registered decreased raw steel production during the period in question, of which the top three mills in terms of greatest decrease rate are as follows: Shanxi Zhongyu Co. with 176,800 metric tons, down 46.68 percent; Hebei Dongshan Metallurgy Co. with 171,300 metric tons, a decrease of 42.48 percent; Shanxi Longmen Co. with 452,500 metric tons, down 31.67 percent. Additionally, some super-large mills also saw a certain decrease in raw steel production.
For the period in question, the total finished steel product output of China's 69 large and medium-sized mills reached 92.628 million metric tons, up 8.1988 million metric tons or a rise of 9.71 percent, accounting for 65.72 percent of the total national output.
In the same period, the highest finished steel products output was recorded by the following four mills: Baosteel Group with 7.6488 million metric tons; Anben Group with 5.7114 million metric tons; Tangshan Steel with 5.4409 million metric tons; and Shagang Group with 5.1424 million metric tons. The combined output of these four mills totaled 23.9435 metric tons, 17 percent of the total national output.
The top three mills with regard to most rapid finished steel production growth during the first quarter of 2008 were: Shangdong Rizhao Group with 2.2011 million metric tons, an increase of 77.41 percent; Tianjin Tiantie Group with 853,500 metric tons, up 51.84 percent; Shanxi Zhongyang Co. with 352,900 metric tons, a rise of 46.92 percent.
In Q1, 21 Chinese steelmakers registered a decrease in finished product output. The top three in terms of highest percentage decrease were: Shanxi Zhongyu with 142,500 metric tons, a decrease of 44.29 percent; Shanxi Haixing with 392,700 metric tons, down 33.36 percent; and Guiyang Special Steel Co. which posted a decrease of 28.08 percent, dropping to 42,000 metric tons.