Biznextindia: Global crude steel production increased by 3.4% (year on year) at 1,869.9 million tonnes (Mt) in 2019. Crude steel production contracted in all regions in 2019 except in Asia and the Middle East, world steel Association said.
Asia produced 1,341.6 Mt of crude steel in 2019, an increase of 5.7% compared to 2018. China’s crude steel production in 2019 reached 996.3 Mt, up by 8.3% on 2018. China’s share of global crude steel production increased from 50.9% in 2018 to 53.3% in 2019. India’s crude steel production for 2019 was 111.2 Mt, up by 1.8% on 2018.
Japan, the 3rd largest producer, produced 99.3 Mt in 2019, down 4.8% compared to 2018. South Korea produced 71.4 Mt of crude steel in 2019, a decrease of 1.4% compared to 2018.
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) has reported 4.9% drop in steel production at 159.4 Mt of crude steel in 2019. Among the EU countries, Germany produced 39.7 Mt of crude steel in 2019, a decrease of 6.5% on 2018. Italy produced 23.2 Mt in 2019, down by 5.2% on 2018. France produced 14.5 Mt of crude steel, a decrease of 6.1% on 2018. Spain produced 13.6 Mt of crude steel in 2019, a decrease of 5.2% on 2018.
Crude steel production in North America was 120.0 Mt in 2019, 0.8% lower than in 2018. The US produced 87.9 Mt of crude steel, up by 1.5% on 2018.