Raw steel is produced in basic-oxygen or electric arc furnaces, and cast into semi-finished forms like billets (seen here) for bar and rod products; slabs, for flat products; or blooms, for beam and pipe products.
Stocked, ready and waiting
Carbon steel billets sold through service centers and distributors are the source of much of the raw material sourced by machine shops.
Even up
World Steel Assn.
World raw steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 151.5 million metric tons in August 2019, essentially even (-0.3%) with the September 2018 result.
Scaling results
World Steel Assn.
September 2019 global raw-steel output for 64 countries, with circles sized proportionally to the individual nations’ respective output.
Side by side
World Steel Assn.
China’s raw steel production for September 2019 was 82.8 million metric tons, an increase of 2.2% compared to September 2018.
U.S. steelmakers produced 7.1 million metric tons of raw steel in September 2019, a decrease of 2.5% compared to September 2018.
China, and lesser steel giants
World Steel Assn.
January-through-September 2019 monthly production for the world’s top five steelmaking nations by volume.
