Russian mining and steelmaking company Evraz Group has announced its production results for the fourth quarter last year, stating that its crude steel production increased by 1.4 percent to 3.54 million mt compared to the third quarter. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the company's pig iron production decreased by 0.8 percent to 2.80 million mt, its finished steel production fell by 12.4 percent to 1.69 million mt and coke production declined by five percent to 220,000 mt, all on quarter-on-quarter basis.
According to the company's statement, in the fourth quarter last year higher volumes of semi-finished products led to increased steel product output at its Russian steel mills, net of re-rolled volumes. Meanwhile, output of construction products in the fourth quarter fell, reflecting the seasonal slowdown in demand for construction products in Russia and the impact of changes to the sales mix. Meanwhile, in the same period, railway product output grew, driven by the completion of repairs at Evraz ZSMK’s rail mill in the third quarter of 2017, which had impacted production volumes in that period.