September global steel output up 2.9% on year: World Steel Association

The World Steel Association reported 156.4 million tonnes of global steel output for September, a 2.9% increase compared with the previous year, according to data released Oct. 23.

China produced 92.6 million mt of crude steel during September, a 10.9% increase compared to the same time last year, while India produced 8.5 million mt, down 2.9% from last September.

Japan’s output totaled 6.5 million mt, down almost 20% on year and South Korea’s crude steel production for last month was 5.8 million mt, up 2.1% from September 2019.

Output figures were down across all major European producers, with Germany’s total production at 3 million mt in September, a yearly decrease of 9.7%. Italy produced 1.8 million mt, down 18.7% from the previous year, and France saw a fall of 20.1%, with total steel output at 1 million mt. Spain saw the most drastic decrease, with a total output of 0.9 million mt of crude steel, a year-on-year drop of almost 21%.

Estimated CIS production was at 8.2 million mt in September, down a minimal 0.3% compared with 2019 and Ukraine’s total production stood at 1.7 million mt, down 5.4% from last year.

In the US, September 2020 production figures totaled 5.7 million mt of crude steel, a decrease of 18.5% on year, while in Latin America, Brazil’s output stood at 2.6 million mt of output, up 7.5% from September 2019.

— Amanda Flint