According to a statement released by the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TCUD), the Turkey's crude steel output which started its downward trend in 2013 continued to decline in August and the Turkish steel industry lost its competitiveness in global markets.
In August, Turkey's crude steel production decreased by 11.8 percent year on year to 2.56 million metric tons and was up 1.1 percent compared to the previous month. In August, Turkey's crude steel output by electric arc furnaces declined by 20.9 percent year on year and up two percent month on month to 1.61 million metric tons, while crude steel production by integrated plants increased by 9.3 percent year on year and declined by 0.3 percent month and month to 954,000 metric tons.
Meanwhile, in the first eight months of the current year Turkey's crude steel production decreased by seven percent year on year to 21.29 million metric tons. In the given period, Turkey's crude steel output by electric arc furnaces declined by 13.5 percent to 13.98 million metric tons, while production by integrated plants increased by 8.3 percent to 7.31 million metric tons, both year on year.
In the January- August period, Turkey's billet output decreased by six percent to 15.72 million metric tons, while its slab output declined by 9.9 percent to 5.57 million metric tons, both on year-on-year basis.