Steel production decreases in first quarter

22nd April 2022 By: Tasneem Bulbulia - Senior Contributing Editor Online

World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to industry organisation the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 161.0-million tonnes in March, a 5.8% decrease compared with March 2021.

Global crude steel production was 456.6-million tonnes in the first three months of the year, down by 6.8% compared with the same period in 2021.

Asia and Oceania produced 331.3-million tonnes of crude steel in the first quarter of the year, a decrease of 7.8% year-on-year.

The European Union (27) produced 36.8-million tonnes of crude steel in the first quarter of the year, down by 3.8% year-on-year.

North America’s crude steel production in the period was 28.1-million tonnes, a decrease of 0.9% year-on-year.

Russia and other Commonwealth of Independent States, plus Ukraine, produced 24-million tonnes of crude steel in the first quarter of the year, a decrease of 8.5% on the first quarter of 2021.

TOP TEN

From the top ten steel-producing countries, China produced 88.3-million tonnes in March, down 6.4% year-on-year.

India produced 10.9-million tonnes, up 4.4%; Japan produced eight-million tonnes, down 4.3%; and the US produced seven-million tonnes, down 1.7%.

Russia is estimated to have produced 6.6-million tonnes, down 1.8%.

South Korea produced 5.7-million tonnes, down 6.1%.

Germany is estimated to have produced 3.3-million tonnes, down 11.8%, while Turkey produced 3.3-million tonnes, down 2.9%.

Brazil is estimated to have produced three-million tonnes, up 5.4% and Iran 2.3-million tonnes, down 6.1% year-on-year.