Global crude steel production in September this year decreased by 0.1 percent year on year to 134.42 million metric tons, while a 0.4 percent decline 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 76.1 percent, 2.6 percentage points lower compared to September 2013 and 1.9 percentage points higher compared to August of the current year.
In the meantime, total global crude steel production in the first nine months of this year rose 2.1 percent compared to the same period of 2013, amounting to 1.23 billion metric tons.
In September, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 91.21 million mt, up 0.9 percent, with 67.54 million mt produced by China, remaining unchanged, 9.24 million mt produced by Japan, down 0.5 percent, 6.85 million mt produced by India, up 2.5 percent, and 5.7 million mt produced by South Korea, up 10.1 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.13 million mt of crude steel in September, down by 1.7 percent compared with September 2013. In September this year, Germany's output was 3.51 million mt, down three percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.16 million mt, up 0.7 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.37 million mt, down 0.5 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.89 million metric tons of crude steel in September this year, with a 3.1 percent decrease from the same month in 2013.
Iran's crude steel production in September this year amounted to 1.43 million mt, up 4.8 percent compared to September 2013.
The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.23 million mt in September this year, down 6.8 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.9 million mt, increasing six percent, and Ukraine producing 1.7 million mt, down 37 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in September, crude steel output totaled 10.07 million mt, up 1.1 percent year on year, with the US producing 7.28 million mt and Mexico producing 1.58 million mt, down 0.1 percent and increasing by 3.8 percent, respectively, on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in September amounted to 3.8 million mt, down 3.4 percent from September 2013, with Brazil's output totaling 2.86 million mt, down 3.8 percent year on year.