Global crude steel production in December last year increased by 5.5 percent year on year to 134.06 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 68.1 percent, up 2.8 percentage points compared to December 2015.
In 2016, global crude steel production increased to 1.63 billion mt, up 0.8 percent year on year. In the given year, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 69.3 percent compared to 69.7 percent in 2015.
In 2016, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 1.12 billion mt, up 1.6 percent, with 808.4 million mt produced by China, up 1.2 percent, 104.8 million mt produced by Japan, decreasing by 0.3 percent, 95.6 million mt produced by India, up 7.4 percent, and 68.6 million mt produced by South Korea, falling by 1.6 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis.
EU-28 countries produced 162.3 million mt of crude steel in 2016, down 2.3 percent year on year. In 2016, Germany's output was 42.1 million mt, falling by 1.4 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 23.3 million mt, up six percent year on year, and France's crude steel output amounted to 14.6 million mt, down 2.3 percent year on year.
Turkey produced 33.2 million metric tons of crude steel in 2016, with a 5.2 percent increase from 2015. Iran's crude steel production in 2016 amounted to 17.9 million mt, up 10.8 percent year on year. The CIS registered a crude steel output of 102.4 million mt in 2016, up 0.8 percent year on year, with Russia producing 70.8 million mt, decreasing by 0.1 percent, and Ukraine producing 24.2 million mt, up 5.5 percent, both on year-on-year basis.
In North America in 2016, crude steel output totaled 111 million mt, remaining stable, with the US producing 78.6 million mt, decreasing by 0.3 percent, and Mexico producing 19 million mt, up 4.3 percent, all on year-on-year basis. Crude steel output in South America in 2016 amounted to 39.2 million mt, down 10.6 percent from 2015, with Brazil's output totaling 30.2 million mt, decreasing by 9.2 percent year on year.