According to a statement released by the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (DCUD), in August this year Turkey's crude steel production rose by 8.7 percent year on year, amounting to 3.04 million mt. The country's crude steel production in August decreased 1.9 percent compared to July this year.
According to the DCUD, Turkey's crude steel production maintains its growing trend despite the contraction in global markets. In the first eight months of the current year, the country's output exceeded 24.1 million mt, up 9.2 percent year on year. In this period, steel production using EAFs amounted to 18 million mt, with an increase of 10.9 percent, while production via blast furnaces rose by 4.6 percent to 6 million mt, both compared to the same period of 2011.
The association noted that in the first eight months of 2012 Turkey's steel billet output moved up by 15.3 percent to 18.1 million mt, while its slab output fell by 5.8 percent to 5.9 million mt, both on year-on-year basis. According to the DCUD, the mills which are capable of producing both slab and billet focused on producing billet in line with the contraction in the flat steel markets.