Global crude steel production in August this year increased by 1.9 percent year on year to 134.12 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 68.5 percent, up from 68 percent recorded in August 2015 and up 0.1 percentage points compared to July this year.
In the January-August period of this year, global crude steel production decreased to 1.06 billion mt, down 0.9 percent year on year.
In August this year, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 93.95 million mt, up 3.4 percent, with 68.57 million mt produced by China, up three percent, 8.92 million mt produced by Japan, increasing by 1.5 percent, 8.14 million mt produced by India, up 9.4 percent, and 5.87 million mt produced by South Korea, rising by 1.8 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 11.97 million mt of crude steel in August, down 1.4 percent year on year. In August, Germany's output was 3.51 million mt, rising by 2.4 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 1.08 million mt, up 7.4 percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 983,000 mt, down 5.2 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 2.85 million metric tons of crude steel in August, with a 12.9 percent increase from the same month in 2015. Iran's crude steel production in August this year amounted to 1.35 million mt, up 8.1 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8.36 million mt in August, down 2.7 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.92 million mt, decreasing by 1.9 percent, and Ukraine producing 1.84 million mt, down 4.1 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in August, crude steel output totaled 9.54 million mt, down three percent, with the US producing 6.7 million mt, decreasing by 3.4 percent, and Mexico producing 1.69 million mt, up 1.9 percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in August amounted to 3.49 million mt, down 6.6 percent from August 2015, with Brazil's output totaling 2.77 million mt, decreasing by 1.1 percent year on year.