Global crude steel production in December last year decreased by 5.3 percent year on year and was down by 6.3 percent month on month to 135.7 million mt, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel).
In 2023, global crude steel production decreased by 0.1 percent year on year to 1.85 billion mt.
Asia recorded the biggest crude steel output in 2023, increasing by 0.7 percent to 1.37 billion mt. EU-27 countries followed Asia with 126.3 million mt of crude steel production, down by 7.4 percent. North America posted 109.6 million mt, down by 1.7 percent, while the CIS produced 88.1 million mt of crude steel, up by 4.5 percent.
In December, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 96.4 million mt, down 9.7 percent, with China’s output at 67.4 million mt, down 14.9 percent, with 12.1 million mt produced by India, up by 9.5 percent, 7.0 million mt produced by Japan, rising by 1.1 percent, and 5.4 million mt produced by South Korea, moving up by 2.7 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-27 countries produced 9.1 million mt of crude steel in December, up by 2.7 percent year on year. In the given period, Germany’s output amounted to 2.6 million mt, down 2.3 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 3.2 million mt of crude steel in December with a 21.2 percent increase compared to the same month in 2022. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 7.1 million mt, advancing by 11.8 percent on year-on-year basis, with Russia’s estimated output at 6.0 million mt, up 4.3 percent year on year.
In North America, in December, crude steel output totaled 9.3 million mt, up by 5.3 percent year on year, with the US producing 6.8 million mt, growing by 7.6 percent, both year on year. Crude steel output in South America in December amounted to 3.2 million mt, decreasing by 3.2 percent compared to the same month in 2022, with Brazil’s output totaling 2.5 million mt, increasing by 0.9 percent year on year.
In the given month, Africa produced 1.9 million mt of crude steel, increasing by 17.7 percent year on year. In the Middle East, crude steel output totaled 4.9 million mt, moving up by 9.6 percent.