Global crude steel production in June this year increased by 3.2 percent year on year to 141.04 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 73 percent, up 1.4 percentage points compared to June 2016 and up 1.3 percentage points compared to May.
In the first half of this year, global crude steel production increased to 836.02 million mt, up 4.5 percent year on year.
In June this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 98.72 million mt, up 4.5 percent, with 73.23 million mt produced by China, up 5.7 percent, 8.39 million mt produced by Japan, decreasing by 4.3 percent, 7.95 million mt produced by India, down 1.1 percent, and 5.9 million mt produced by South Korea, rising by 7.7 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 14.38 million mt of crude steel in June, up 3.9 percent year on year. In June, Germany's output was 3.6 million mt, falling by 1.7 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.08 million mt, up 1.8 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.32 million mt, up 1.3 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 3.02 million metric tons of crude steel in June, with a 7.1 percent increase from June last year. Iran's crude steel production in June amounted to 1.78 million mt, up 16.4 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 7.64 million mt in June, falling eight percent on year-on-year basis, with Russia producing 5.34 million mt, decreasing by eight percent, and Ukraine producing 1.59 million mt, down 13 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in June, crude steel output totaled 9.41 million mt, decreasing 2.4 percent, with the US producing 6.7 million mt, decreasing by 1.7 percent, and Mexico producing 1.68 million mt, up one percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in June amounted to 3.41 million mt, up 3.4 percent from June last year, with Brazil's output totaling 2.65 million mt, increasing by four percent year on year.