Oleg Totskyi | Dreamstime
00 0320 World Steel 1540
00 0320 World Steel 1540
00 0320 World Steel 1540
00 0320 World Steel 1540
00 0320 World Steel 1540

January Steel Production Up Worldwide

Feb. 28, 2021
Global tonnage rose to 162.9 million metric tons for the first month of 2021, a 4.8% increase over the January 2020 total.

Global steel production increased slightly in January to 162.9 million metric tons, just 1.27% more than the tonnage reported for December 2020, and 4.8% more than the January 2020 total. The January data supplied by the World Steel Assn. showed a small decrease from December output in China, but better month-to-month results in the other large steelmaking nations.

Regional results for January showed strong year-over-year returns in the Asian (+9.2%) and South American (+11.4) regions, but a weaker result (-7.0%) for the North American region. The European Union (27 nations) produced a total of 12.2 million metric tons during January, effectively even (-0.4%) with the January 2020 output.

China stands well ahead of the rest world in steel production, with an estimated 64.0% of global steel production during January 2021. Chinese steelmakers’ January output is estimated at 90.2 million metric tons, -1.15% less than World Steel’s total reported for December output, but 6.8% more than the January 2020 total.

Steelmakers in India produced a reported 10.0 million metric tons during January, 2.08% more than the tonnage reported by World Steel for December, and 7.6% more than the January 2020 total.

In Japan, raw-steel production totaled 7.9 million metric tons during January, 4.96% higher than the December volume but -3.9% lower than January 2020 output.

U.S. raw steel production during January totaled 6,900 metric tons (7,605.9 short tons), +7.24% higher than World Steel’s reported total for December 2020, but -9.9% lower than U.S. January 2020 tonnage.

The World Steel Assn. data covers "raw” carbon steel from 64 nations, the product of basic-oxygen or electric arc furnaces and cast into semi-finished forms like billets for bar and rod products; slabs for flat products; or blooms, for beam and pipe products. Specialty and stainless steel are accounted separately.

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