Russia's steel output indicates rise

Russia’s steel output indicates rise

The Federal State Statistics Service said that Russia's finished roll output, including export billets, rose by 4.5% year-on-year in the first five months of 2004 to 21.74 million tons. Sheet production amounted to 9.75 million tons, up by 5.9% in the aforementioned period. This figure includes 3.4 million tons of cold rolled sheet and 6.34 million tons of hot rolled sheet. Section and bar production was recorded as 11.76 million tons, indicating a rise of 3.4%. In Jan-May 2004 period, Russia produced 20.6 million tons of pig iron with an increase of more than 1.7% while country's crude steel production reached 26.8 million tons, up by 3.9%.