Global steel production totaled 154.4 million metric tons during January 2020, the World Steel Association reported, a result that is only slightly higher (+1.95%) than the December 2019 and January 2019 (+2.1%) results. It's also notable that the reported figures include an estimated total on Chinese raw-steel production: China is by far the world's largest steel-producing nation, representing 53.3% of all steel output for 2019.
The World Steel Assn. represents steelmakers in 64 countries. "Raw steel" is 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.
China's estimated raw-steel production for January was 84.3 million metric tons metric tons, unchanged from the December 2019 report, but indicating an increase of +7.2% over the January 2019 report.
India, the world's second-largest steelmaker, produced 9.3 million metric tons of raw steel during January, barely higher (+0.08%) than the December 2019 total and down -3.2% over the January 2019 total.
In Japan, steelmakers produced 8.2 million metric tons of raw steel during January, +5.9% more than the December result and +1.26 more than the January 2019 total.
South Korean steelmakers' raw-steel production was 5.8 million metric tons during January 2020, -2.16% lower than the December total, and -7.98% lower than the January 2019 result.
European steel production during January may not be indicative of larger trends, following typical holiday and maintenance schedules in the region during December. However, the largest producer nation in Europe (and the seventh-largest in the world), Germany, reported 2.8 million metric tons of raw steel output during January, just +0.06% more than in December 2019, and -17.65% less than during January 2019.
The Italian industry produced 1.9 million metric tons of raw steel during January, +32.6% more than in December 2019, but -4.9% less than during January 2019.
French steelmakers produced 1.3 million metric tons of raw steel during January, +40.84% more than during December 2019 and +4.48% more than the January 2019 output.
In Russia, now the world's fifth-largest steelmaking nation according to World Steel's 2019 statistics, produced 6.0 million metric tons of raw steel during January, the same figure reported for December. Compared to the January 2019 report, the new total is down -4.09%.
Ukrainian steelmakers produced 1.8 million metric tons during January, +18.12% more than during December 2019 but -0.36% less than during January 2019.
The Turkish steel industry produced 3.014 million metric tons during January, +4.2% more than the December total and +17.35% more than the January 2019 result.
In Brazil, raw steel production for January was 2.7 million metric tons metric tons, down just -0.52% from December 2019, and down -11.1% versus January 2019.
The U.S. produced 7.7 million metric tons (8.49 million short tons) of raw steel during January, up +5.7.% from December and increasing +2.5% compared to January 2019.