Global crude steel production in May this year increased by 4.4 percent month on month and rose by 6.6 percent year on year to 154.8 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 77.7 percent, up 4.2 percentage points compared to May 2017 and rising by one percentage points compared to April.
In the January-May period of this year, global crude steel production increased to 729.21 million mt, up 4.3 percent year on year.
In May this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 108.81 million mt, rising by 7.7 percent, with 81.12 million mt produced by China, up 8.9 percent, 9.09 million mt produced by Japan, increasing by 1.8 percent, 8.82 million mt produced by India, increasing by 7.6 percent, and 6.22 million mt produced by South Korea, rising by three percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.98 million mt of crude steel in May, up 1.8 percent year on year. In May, Germany's output was 3.90 million mt, rising by 2.6 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.18 million mt, up 3.7 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.33 million mt, down 6.5 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 3.32 million metric tons of crude steel in May, with a 0.5 percent increase from May last year. Iran's crude steel production in May amounted to 2.01 million mt, up 12.4 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 9.03 million mt in May, increasing by 9.9 percent on year-on-year basis, with Russia producing 6.23 million mt, rising by six percent, and Ukraine producing 1.69 million mt, up 2.9 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in May, crude steel output totaled 10.1 million mt, increasing by 4.3 percent, with the US producing 7.1 million mt, rising by three percent, and Mexico producing 1.8 million mt, up 3.4 percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in May amounted to 3.52 million mt, down 5.7 percent from May last year, with Brazil's output totaling 2.67 million mt, decreasing by 8.6 percent year on year.