WV Stahl: German August crude steel production up 0.5% on year
German crude steel production edged up 0.5% year on year to 2.9 million metric tons in August, according to data published Sept. 24 by German steel federation WV Stahl.
However, the volume was down 8.6% month on month, according to the data.
This brought January-August crude steel production from German mills to 25.4 MMt, up 4% year on year.
Of the total August volume, 2.1 million was produced from blast furnaces, down 0.1% year on year, and down 9.1% from July.
This brought the total for the eight-month period to 18 MMt, increasing 2.2% year on year.
According to WV Stahl, German crude steel production from electric arc furnaces in August totaled 734,000 metric tons, up 2.3% year on year but down 7% month on month.
Output from EAFs over January-August also increased 8.6% year on year to 7.4 MMt.
Meanwhile, Germany produced 2 MMt of pig iron in August, up 0.3% year on year, but down 7.4% form the previous month, bringing the eight-month volume to 16.55 MMt, up 2.4% year on year.
Output of hot-rolled steel products in August dropped 3.1% year on year and 9.6% from July to 2.35 MMt, with the January-August volume up 2.6% at 21.7 MMt.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed domestic HRC prices in Northern Europe at Eur555/mt ex-works Ruhr Sept. 23, down 20% since the start of 2024.
worldsteel: global steel production falls 6.5% on year in Aug
Global crude steel production totaled 144.8 million metric tons in August, dropping 6.5% year on year and down 4.9% from July, according to World Steel Association data published Sept. 24.
This brought total production for the first eight months of 2024 to 1.25 billion metric tons, down 1.5% on the year.
China produced 77.9 MMt in August, down 10.4% on the year and 6% from July, making up 53.8% of total global crude steel output.
This brought China’s January-August volume to 691.4 MMt, down 3.3% year on year.
The world’s second-largest steel producer India saw production grow 2.6% year on year in August to 12.3 MMt, which was also up 1% month on month, the data showed.
India’s cumulative January-August output rose 6.5% to 98.5 MMt, according to worldsteel.
Japan’s August production was 6.9 MMt, down 3.9% on the year and 3.2% lower than July, with January-August output down 2.9% on the year at 56.7 MMt.
US output in August was 7 MMt, edging up 0.7% year on year and up 3.4% on the month, taking January-August production to 53.8 MMt, down 1.7% year on year.
Russia was estimated to have produced 5.8 MMt in August, falling 11.5% on the year and down 0.7% month on month, bringing its estimated January-August output to 48.5 MMt, down 4.9% on the year.
South Korea produced 5.5 MMt of crude steel in August, down 2.2% year on year and down 0.9% from July, with the eight-month volume down 5.5% on the year at 42.5 MMt.
Europe Jan-Aug output up 2.2%
For the European Union, crude steel production rose 2.2% on the year to 9.1 MMt in August, although this was 17% lower on the month, the data showed.
Europe’s January-August volume was 87.2 MMt, climbing 1.5% on the year.
Germany, the largest steel producer in Europe, saw its crude steel production edge 0.5% higher on the year to 2.9 MMt, although this was down 8.6% on the month.
In January-August, Germany produced 25.4 MMt of crude steel, up 4% year on year, the data showed.
Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed domestic HRC prices in Northern Europe at Eur555/mt ex-works Ruhr Sept. 23, down 20% since the start of 2024.
Of the top 10 producers, Turkey saw the largest gains in August, with output rising 13.8% year on year to 3.1 MMt, according to the data, also representing a 3% increase from July. Eight-month production was up 14.8% on the year at 24.8 MMt.
Brazil produced 3 MMt in August, rising 7.3% year on year, but down 3% from July, while Iran’s monthly output was 1.4 MMt, falling 9.9% on the year and 22.7% lower than the previous month.
Brazil’s estimated production over January-August climbed 3.8% on the year to 22.4 MMt, while Iran’s output for the eight-month period rose 1.9% to 19.8 MMt.
October production of pig iron from 37 countries was 102.3 MMt, falling 6.1% year on year, the data showed, while direct reduced iron produced worldwide from 13 countries amounted to 10.5 MMt, up 3.35% year on year, the data showed.
Pig iron output over the January-August period totaled 854.6 MMt, down 3% year on year, while DRI production for the period rose 5.85% on the year to 82.7 MMt.
Crude steel data covers the 71 countries that report to worldsteel, accounting for about 98% of the world’s crude steel production.
