According to World Steel Associatio (worldsteel), in April this year the crude steel output of 64 countries surveyed across the globe reached 127 million mt, increasing by five percent on year-on-year basis. Total crude steel output from January to April was 500 million mt, up by 8 percent year on year.
In April, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 81.2 million mt, up by 5.8 percent, with 59.03 million mt produced by China, up by 7.1 percent, 8.42 million mt produced by Japan, down by 6.3 percent, 5.89 million mt produced by South Korea, up by 15.9 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-27 countries produced 15.77 million mt of crude steel in April, up 2.2 percent comparing with the corresponding period in 2010. Germany's output was 3.82 million mt, down by 1.7 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.46 million mt, up 9.8 percent year on year, and Spain's crude steel output was 1.5 million mt, down 5.8 percent year on year.
The CIS registered a crude steel output of 9.6 million mt in April, up 9.8 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.96 million mt, up by 5.5 percent and Ukraine producing 2.95 million mt, down 3.1 percent.
In North America in April, crude steel output reached 9.78 million mt, up 2.4 percent year on year, with the US producing 7.1 million mt and Mexico producing 1.5 million mt, up 2.1 percent and seven percent respectively.
Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America reached 4.08 million mt, up by 17.8 percent year on year, with Brazil's output reaching 2.94 million mt, up by 8.6 percent year on year.
In the month mentioned, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 82.8 percent, up by 0.9 percentage points month on month, and almost at the same level compared with the same month last year.