Global crude steel production in May this year decreased by 2.1 percent year on year to 139.3 million metric tons, while an increase of 2.7 percent was observed on month-on-month basis, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel). In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 72.1 percent, 3.4 percentage points lower compared to May 2014 and down 0.4 compared to April this year.
In the January-May period of this year, global crude steel production decreased to approximately 675.63 million mt, down 1.6 percent year on year.
In May this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 94.55 million mt, down 1.8 percent, with 69.95 million mt produced by China, down 1.7 percent, 8.9 million mt produced by Japan, down 7.3 percent, 7.68 million mt produced by India, up four percent, and 6.04 million mt produced by South Korea, decreasing by 2.4 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 15.09 million mt of crude steel in May, up 0.7 percent year on year. In May, Germany's output was 3.7 million mt, down 5.1 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was two million mt, declining by 12.6 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.45 million mt, up 5.8 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.92 million metric tons of crude steel in May, with a 2.66 percent decrease from the same month in 2014. Iran's crude steel production in May this year amounted to 1.45 million mt, up 2.11 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of nine million mt in May of the current year, down 7.2 percent year on year, with Russia producing 6.1 million mt, decreasing by 1.3 percent, and Ukraine producing 2.2 million mt, down 22 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in May, crude steel output totaled 9.54 million mt, down 6.6 percent year on year, with the US producing 6.84 million mt and Mexico producing 1.45 million mt, down 8.4 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively, on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in May amounted to 3.83 million mt, up 0.78 percent from May 2014, with Brazil's output totaling 2.98 million mt, increasing by 3.8 percent year on year.