Crude Steel Output by Asian Countries Surged 10%

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The latest production statistics published by the World Steel Association (wordsteel) suggests substantial increase in crude steel output by Asian countries during the month of April 2019. Being the largest crude steel producing region, Asia accounted for nearly 72% of the total world steel output during the month.

The Asian countries boosted their total production to 112.201 million tons (Mt) in April this year, which is significantly higher by 9.5% when compared with the production during the same month a year before. The regional output had totaled only 102.503 Mt in April 2018. The combined output during the initial four-month period of the current year was up by 7.3% year-on-year to 424.029 Mt, as compared with 395.221 Mt in Jan-Apr ’18.

China continued to be the leading steel producer in the region. The country’s output growth surpassed that of the region, growing by 12.7% over the previous year. The country accounted for approximately 76% of the total regional output during the month. The Chinese output totaled 85.032 Mt. India continued to occupy the second spot, pushing Japan to third place. The Indian production totaled 8.785 Mt, whereas Japan produced 8.647 Mt. The Indian output increased marginally by 1.5%, whereas the Japanese output dropped marginally by 0.8% when compared with the year-ago month.

The April ’19 steel output by other countries in the region are as follows: South Korea (5.978 Mt), Taiwan (1.930 Mt), Vietnam (1.350 Mt), Pakistan (265,000 t) and Thailand (215,000 t).