World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) decreased by 13% year-on-year to 137.1-million tonnes in April.
Africa's output decreased by 55.7% year-on-year to 603 000 t, with South Africa's output having decreased by 99.5%.
Resulting from ongoing difficulties presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, worldsteel notes that much of April’s figures are estimates that may be revised in May’s production update.
Major producer China produced 85-million tonnes of crude steel in April, an increase of 0.2% compared with April 2019, while India produced 3.1-million tonnes, down 65.2% on April 2019.
Japan produced 6.6-million tonnes of crude steel in April, down 23.5% on April 2019, while production in the European Union is estimated to be 10.73-million tonnes in April, down 22.9% on April 2019.
The US produced five-million tonnes of crude steel in April, a decrease of 32.5% compared to April 2019, while production in the Commonwealth of Independent States was estimated to be 6.55-million tonnes in April, down 22.6% on April 2019.
Ukraine produced 1.4-million tonnes of crude steel in April, down 30.9% on April 2019, while Brazil produced 1.8-million tonnes of crude steel production in April, down by 39.0% on April 2019.
Turkey’s crude steel production for April 2020 was 2.2-million tonnes, down by 26.3% on April 2019.