Global crude steel output declines by 2% over Jan-Apr

Crude steel production among the 69 countries checked by the World Steel Association (WSA) totaled 613.3 million tonnes over this year's January-April period, recording an on-year decrease of 2% from the same reporting period last year, according to the association's latest release published on May 22.

Although the on-year drop in cumulative output had narrowed slightly from 2.3% in Q1, the global total in April was lower by 3.9% or 6.3 million tonnes from March's total at 153.3 million tonnes, Mysteel Global calculated based on the WSA release.

China, the world's largest steelmaker, produced 331.1 million tonnes over January-April, dropping by 4.1% on year. China's output accounted for 54% of the world's total, up by a small 0.1 percentage points from its share during the first quarter. During April alone, China's crude steel production volume reached 83.6 million tonnes, lower by 2.8% on year and by a larger 3.9% from March, the WSA release revealed.

Meanwhile, Russia's crude steel production volume totaled 20.6 million tonnes during the first four months, lower by a double-digit 12% from the corresponding period last year and marking the steepest decline among the top ten steel producing countries as ranked by the WSA, the association numbers show.

In addition, Japan and Brazil also recorded on-year contractions in their crude steel output last month.

Among the remaining six economies recording on-year gains in crude steel output, India, the second largest steelmaking country worldwide, topped the group. Its output in April increased 3.9% to 13.8 million tonnes, lifting its four-month total by 9.4% to 58.7 million tonnes, the WSA release indicated.

The United States still posted broad gains, with its crude steel production in April mounting by 9.4% on year to reach 7.2 million tonnes, while its cumulative output over the past four months increased by 6.6% to 28.1 million tonnes, according to the WSA release.