Crude steel output for Q1 2013 up 2.3%

Asia produced 259.8Mt of crude steel, an increase of 6.4% over the first quarter of 2012. The EU produced 41.5Mt of crude steel Q1 2013, down -5.4% compared to the same quarter of 2012. North America’s crude steel production in the first three months of 2013 was 29.7Mt, a decrease of -5.7% compared to the first quarter of 2012. In March 2013, crude steel production for the 63 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 135Mt, an increase of 1.0% compared to March 2012.

Of this, China produced 66.3Mt, up by 6.6% compared to March 2012. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan produced 9.4Mt, up 1.3% compared to the same month last year. South Korea’s production was 5.7Mt, down -7.0% from March 2012.

In the EU, Germany produced 3.8Mt of crude steel in March 2013, a decrease of -2.2% on March 2012. Italy’s production was 2.2Mt, down -18.4%, Spain produced 1.3Mt, -2.3% lower than March 2012, France produced 1.3Mt, a decrease of -9.6% on March 2012. UK produced 1.025Mt, up 53.4% on a year earlier and was the only major steelmaker in the EU27 not to show a decline in output for March.

Turkey’s production for March 2013 was 3.0Mt, down -4.6% compared to March 2012.

The US produced 7.3Mt of crude steel, down -8.4% on March 2012. Russia produced 6.0Mt of crude steel, a decrease of -2.8% compared to March last year. Ukraine produced 2.9 Mt, -2.9% less than March 2012.

In Latin America, Brazil produced 2.9Mt of crude steel in March, a decrease of -7.6% compared to March 2012.

The crude steel capacity utilisation ratio for the 63 countries in March 2013 slid to 79.4% from 80.5% in February 2013. Compared to March 2012, it is -2.1% lower.