Global crude steel production in October this year remained stable year on year, amounting to 136.74 million metric tons, while a 1.7 percent increase 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 74.7 percent, 2.7 percentage points lower compared to October 2013 and 1.9 percentage points lower compared to September of the current year.
In the meantime, total global crude steel production in the first 10 months of this year rose two percent compared to the same period of 2013, amounting to 1.37 billion metric tons.
In October, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 92.09 million mt, up 0.6 percent, with 67.52 million mt produced by China, down 0.3 percent, 9.36 million mt produced by Japan, down 1.7 percent, 7.08 million mt produced by India, up 8.5 percent, and 6.17 million mt produced by South Korea, up 4.5 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.9 million mt of crude steel in October, up by 1.5 percent compared with October 2013. In October this year, Germany's output was 3.54 million mt, down 5.9 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.1 million mt, down 5.4 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.48 million mt, up 15 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.72 million metric tons of crude steel in October this year, with an 11 percent decrease from the same month in 2013.
Iran's crude steel production in October this year amounted to 1.44 million mt, up 4.8 percent compared to October 2013.
The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.36 million mt in October this year, down 6.3 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.84 million mt, increasing 1.6 percent, and Ukraine producing 1.87 million mt, down 28.7 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in October, crude steel output totaled 10.21 million mt, up 0.3 percent year on year, with the US producing 7.31 million mt and Mexico producing 1.63 million mt, down 0.7 percent and increasing by 0.4 percent, respectively, on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in October amounted to four million mt, up 0.5 percent from October 2013, with Brazil's output totaling 3.05 million mt, up 2.7 percent year on year.