Photo by: Bloomberg
Global crude steel production rose 1.2% year-on-year to 1.66-billion tonnes in 2014, the World Steel Association (worldsteel) revealed on Thursday.
While crude steel production in the European Union (EU), North America and Asia expanded by a modest 1.7%, 2% and 1.4% respectively during the year under review, the smallest region for crude steel production – the Middle East – boasted the most robust growth during the year.
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and South America, however, recorded lower output last year.
Asia delivered 1.13-billion tonnes of crude steel in 2014, with a 0.9% uptick in China’s output to 822.7-million tonnes of crude steel – despite China’s share of world crude steel production decreasing marginally to 49.5%.
Japan produced 110.7-million tonnes and South Korea 71-million tonnes.
During the year under review, crude steel production in the EU was 169.2-million tonnes. North American producers delivered 121.2-million tonnes and US producers 88.3-million tonnes.
Crude steel output from the CIS contracted by 2.8% to 105.3-million tonnes, with South America registering a 1.4% decrease in production to 45.2-million tonnes.
Steel production in Africa contracted by 0.7% to 15.58-million tonnes, compared with 15.69-million tonnes the year before. South African producers delivered 7.21-million tonnes – 0.6% lower than the 7.25-million tonnes produced in 2013.
In December 2014, world crude steel production for the 65 countries reporting to worldsteel was 133.7-million tonnes – an increase of 0.1% compared with December 2013.