Global crude steel production in September this year increased by 5.6 percent year on year to 141.43 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 73.5 percent, up 2.8 percentage points compared to September 2016 and up 0.6 percentage points compared to August.
In the first nine months of this year, global crude steel production increased to 1.26 billion mt, up 5.6 percent year on year.
In September this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 97.93 million mt, up 5.1 percent, with 71.82 million mt produced by China, up 5.3 percent, 8.62 million mt produced by Japan, increasing by two percent, 8.2 million mt produced by India, up 1.9 percent, and 5.8 million mt produced by South Korea, rising by 2.8 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 13.78 million mt of crude steel in September, up 2.7 percent year on year. In September, Germany's output was 3.5 million mt, rising by 8.1 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.17 million mt, up 8.3 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.32 million mt, up 3.2 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 3.0 million metric tons of crude steel in September, with a 13 percent increase from September last year. Iran's crude steel production in September amounted to 2.23 million mt, up 40.4 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.58 million mt in September, rising 5.3 percent on year-on-year basis, with Russia producing 6.02 million mt, increasing by 5.8 percent, and Ukraine producing 1.84 million mt, down 0.8 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in September, crude steel output totaled 9.36 million mt, increasing six percent, with the US producing 6.71 million mt, rising by 8.6 percent, and Mexico producing 1.58 million mt, down 0.4 percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in September amounted to 3.74 million mt, up 7.2 percent from September last year, with Brazil's output totaling 2.96 million mt, increasing by 7.6 percent year on year.