Global crude steel production in September this year increased by two percent year on year to 132.9 million metric tons, according to the World Steel Association (worldsteel). In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 70 percent, up from 69.5 percent recorded in September 2015 and up 1.5 percentage points compared to August this year.
In the January-September period of this year, global crude steel production decreased to 1.19 billion mt, down 0.5 percent year on year.
In September this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 92.58 million mt, up 3.7 percent, with 68.17 million mt produced by China, up 3.9 percent, 8.44 million mt produced by Japan, decreasing by 1.5 percent, 7.88 million mt produced by India, up 8.5 percent, and 5.72 million mt produced by South Korea, rising by 1.1 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 13.26 million mt of crude steel in September, down 1.7 percent year on year. In September, Germany's output was 3.25 million mt, falling by 3.9 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 1.99 million mt, down 5.3 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 1.27 million mt, up 2.2 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.65 million metric tons of crude steel in September, with an 8.1 percent increase from the same month in 2015. Iran's crude steel production in September this year amounted to 1.58 million mt, up 18.8 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.23 million mt in September, down 3.5 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.74 million mt, decreasing by 2.1 percent, and Ukraine producing 1.88 million mt, down eight percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in September, crude steel output totaled 8.94 million mt, down 4.7 percent, with the US producing 6.31 million mt, decreasing by 3.8 percent, and Mexico producing 1.6 million mt, down 5.5 percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in September amounted to 3.27 million mt, down 4.2 percent from September 2015, with Brazil's output totaling 2.58 million mt, increasing by 3.1 percent year on year.