Global crude steel output up 5.3% y/y in 2017

Global crude steel production increased by 5.3% year-on-year to 1.69-billion tonnes in 2017.

Output increased in all regions except for the Commonwealth of Independent States, where production remained flat at about 102.1-million tonnes, the World Steel Association reported this week.

Africa produced 15-million tonnes of crude steel in 2017, a 14.4% increase over the 13.1-million tonnes produced in 2016. South Africa’s output rose by 2.6% year-on-year to 6.3-million tonnes, while Egypt’s output increased by 35% year-on-year to 6.8-million tonnes.

Asia produced 1.16-billion tons of crude steel in 2017, an increase of 5.4% year-on-year.

China’s crude steel production reached 831.7-million tonnes, up by 5.7% on that of 2016. Japan produced 104.7-million tonnes in 2017, down 0.1% compared with 2016.

India’s crude steel production for 2017 was 101.4-million tonnes, up by 6.2% on that of 2016, while South Korea produced 71.1-million tonnes of crude steel, an increase of 3.7% compared with 2016’s output.

The European Union’s output increased by 4.1% year-on-year to 168.7-million tonnes, with Italy’s production at 24-million tonnes and Spain’s production at 14.5-million tonnes.

Further, crude steel production in North America reached 116-million tonnes, 4.8% higher than in 2016. The US produced 81.6-million tonnes of crude steel, a 4% year-on-year increase.

Russia produced 71.3-million tonnes of crude steel in 2017, up by 1.3% on 2016, while the Ukraine recorded a decrease of 6.4% with a year-end figure of 22.7-million tonnes.