Turkish crude steel output down 5.9 percent in Q1

According to a statement released by the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (DCUD), in the first quarter of the current year Turkey's crude steel output amounted to 8.5 million mt, down 5.9 percent year on year. In this period, steel production using EAFs amounted to 5.9 million mt, with a decrease of 10.7 percent, while production via blast furnaces rose by 7.8 percent to 2.5 million mt, both compared to the same period of 2012.
 
The DCUD said that in March Turkish crude steel output maintained the year-on-year downtrend which had begun in the fourth quarter of 2012. In March this year, Turkey's crude steel production rose by 12.2 percent compared to February but was down by 4.6 percent year on year, amounting to approximately 3 million mt. In March, Turkey's crude steel production via blast furnaces rose by eight percent year on year, amounting to 888,000 mt, while crude steel production using EAFs was 2.1 million mt, falling 9.1 percent compared to March 2012.
 
The association noted that in the first quarter of 2013 Turkey's steel billet output moved down by 5.5 percent to 6.3 million mt, while its slab output fell by seven percent to 2.2 million mt, both on year-on-year basis.