World crude steel production for the 66 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 132.9 million tonnes (Mt) in September 2016, 2.0% up on September 2015.
In the first nine months of 2016, Asia produced 825.9 Mt of crude steel, an increase of 0.6% over the first three quarters of 2015. The EU produced 121.3 Mt of crude steel during the first nine months of 2016, down by -4.8% compared to the same period in 2015. North America’s crude steel production in the first nine months of 2016 was 83.9 Mt, a decrease of -1.4% compared to the first three quarters of 2015. The C.I.S. produced 76.4 Mt of crude steel in the first nine months of 2016, a decrease of -0.1% over the same months of 2015.
China’s crude steel production for September 2016 was 68.2 Mt, an increase of 3.9% compared to September 2015. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan produced 8.4 Mt of crude steel in September 2016, a decrease of -1.5% compared to September 2015. South Korea’s crude steel production was 5.7 Mt in September 2016, up by 1.1% on September 2015.
In the EU, Germany produced 3.2 Mt of crude steel in September 2016, a decrease of -3.9% compared to September 2015. Italy produced 2.0 Mt of crude steel, down by -5.3% on September 2015. France produced 1.3 Mt of crude steel in September 2016, up by 2.2% year-on-year.
Turkey’s crude steel production for September 2016 was 2.7 Mt, up by 8.1% on September 2015.
In September 2016, Russia produced 5.7 Mt of crude steel, down by -2.1% on September 2015. Ukraine produced 1.9 Mt of crude steel, down by -8.0% compared to the same month in 2015.
The United States produced 6.3 Mt of crude steel in September 2016, a decrease of -3.8% compared to September 2015.
Brazil’s crude steel production for September 2016 was 2.6 Mt, up by 3.1% on September 2015.
The crude steel capacity utilisation ratio of the 66 countries in September 2016 was 70%. It was 69.5% in September 2015. The September 2016 capacity utilisation ratio is 1.5 percentage points higher than the August 2016 ratio.
David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific’s leading geo-politics and economics portal.
He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.
