Global crude steel production in July this year increased by 2.1 percent month on month and rose by 5.8 percent year on year to 154.6 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 77.5 percent, up by 3.8 percentage points compared to July 2017 and falling by 1.4 percentage point compared to June.
In the January-July period of this year, global crude steel production increased to 1.03 billion mt, up by five percent year on year.
In July this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 108.98 million mt, rising by 6.3 percent, with 81.24 million mt produced by China, up 7.2 percent, 8.42 million mt produced by Japan, decreasing by two percent, 9 million mt produced by India, increasing by eight percent, and 6.17 million mt produced by South Korea, rising by 0.1 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.53 million mt of crude steel in July, up by 3.9 percent year on year. In July, Germany's output was 3.9 million mt, rising by 10.9 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.21 million mt, up by 3.3 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.31 million mt, down by 3.8 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 3.26 million metric tons of crude steel in July, with a 2.3 percent decrease from July last year. Iran's crude steel production in July amounted to 1.98 million mt, up 13.2 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.72 million mt in July, increasing by 3.5 percent on year-on-year basis, with Russia producing 6.17 million mt, rising by 0.8 percent, and Ukraine producing 1.81 million mt, up by 11.4 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in July, crude steel output totaled 10.13 million mt, increasing by 2.7 percent, with the US producing 7.27 million mt, rising by 4.5 percent, and Mexico producing 1.78 million mt, up by three percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in July amounted to 3.88 million mt, rising by 7.7 percent from July last year, with Brazil's output totaling 3.02 million mt, increasing by 6.7 percent year on year.