In 2020, China produced 1.053 billion mt of crude steel, up by 5.2 percent from 2019, as announced by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on January 18, though the increase was 0.3 percentage point slower than the growth rate recorded in the first 11 months of the year. Following weak first quarter results, the Chinese economy and the steel industry recovered rapidly, supported by investments in major sectors, including infrastructure.
China’s pig iron production reached 887.52 million mt in 2020, up by 4.3 percent, while its finished steel output amounted to 1.325 billion mt, showing a strong 7.7 percent increase year on year.
In December last year, China produced 74.22 million mt of pig iron, up 5.4 percent year on year and up 3.07 percent month on month. Also, China’s crude steel and finished steel outputs totaled 91.25 million mt and 120.34 million mt in December, up 7.7 percent and 12.8 percent, respectively, year on year. At the same time, they increased by 4.1 percent and 2.56 percent month on month, reflecting Chinese steelmakers’ willingness to produce in December.