worldsteel: Global Crude Steel Output Down Slightly in May

Steel News | 2026-06-24 07:19:39 | By Paul Ploumis

The steepest decline was recorded in the Middle East, where crude steel production dropped 19.4% year-on-year to 3.9 Mt.

Summary

Global crude steel output declined 0.3% year-on-year to 157.9 million tonnes in May 2026, according to worldsteel.
North America led regional growth, with production rising 15.6%, while the Middle East saw the steepest decline at 19.4%.
Year-to-date production totaled 773.1 million tonnes, down 1.5% compared with the first five months of 2025.

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Global crude steel production edged lower in May 2026. According to the latest production statistics released by the World Steel Association (worldsteel), crude steel output from the 70 reporting countries totaled 157.9 million tonnes (Mt) in May 2026. This indicates a marginal 0.3% decline compared with the same month last year.

World Steel Output Drops 4.2% in March 2026: worldsteel

Asia and Oceania, the world’s largest steel-producing region, recorded production of 116.2 Mt in May, down 0.9% year-on-year. Output in the European Union (27) also slipped by 0.4% to 11.4 Mt. Meanwhile, production in Russia and other CIS countries, including Ukraine, fell 4.8% to 6.7 Mt.

The steepest decline was recorded in the Middle East, where crude steel production dropped 19.4% year-on-year to 3.9 Mt. In contrast, North America posted the strongest growth among major regions, with output rising 15.6% to 10.1 Mt.

Africa produced 2.1 Mt of crude steel during the month, marking a 10.3% increase, while South America registered a 3.7% rise to 3.5 Mt. Other European countries outside the EU increased production by 4.9% to 3.8 Mt.

For the first five months of 2026, global crude steel production totaled 773.1 Mt, down 1.5% from the corresponding period in 2025.

The 70 countries covered by the report accounted for approximately 98% of global crude steel production in 2025.