Global crude steel production in September this year decreased by 3.7 percent year on year and was down by 1.5 percent month on month to 130.94 million metric tons, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel). In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 69.3 percent, four percentage points lower compared to September 2014 and up 1.3 percentage points compared to August this year.
In the January-September period of this year, global crude steel production decreased to approximately 1.21 billion mt, down 2.4 percent year on year.
In September this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 89.83 million mt, down 3.4 percent, with 66.12 million mt produced by China, down three percent, 8.57 million mt produced by Japan, decreasing by 7.3 percent, 7.26 million mt produced by India, down 1.4 percent, and 5.61 million mt produced by South Korea, falling by 2.7 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 13.57 million mt of crude steel in September, down 4.6 percent year on year. In September, Germany's output was 3.38 million mt, falling by 3.9 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.08 million mt, down 3.9 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.25 million mt, down 8.5 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.49 million metric tons of crude steel in September, with a 14.1 percent decrease from the same month in 2014. Iran's crude steel production in September this year amounted to 1.33 million mt, down 6.4 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.16 million mt in September, up 0.3 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.52 million mt, decreasing by 3.2 percent, and Ukraine producing 2.06 million mt, up 14.1 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in September, crude steel output totaled 9.5 million mt, down six percent, with the US producing 6.7 million mt, decreasing by 8.5 percent, and Mexico producing 1.6 million mt, up 1.3 percent, all year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in September amounted to 3.47 million mt, down 8.6 percent from September 2014, with Brazil's output totaling 2.5 million mt, decreasing by 13 percent year on year.