BRUSSELS (Commodity Online): World crude steel production reached 1,527 megatonnes (Mt) for the year of 2011. This is an increase of 6.8% compared to 2010 and is a record for global crude steel production.
All the major steel-producing countries apart from Japan and Spain showed growth in 2011. Growth was particularly robust in Turkey, South Korea and Italy.
Annual production for Asia was 988.2 Mt of crude steel in 2011, an increase of 7.9% compared to 2010. The region’s share of world steel production increased slightly from 64.0% in 2010 to 64.7% in 2011. China’s crude steel production in 2011 reached 695.5 Mt, an increase of 8.9% on 2010. China’s share of world crude steel production increased from 44.7% in 2010 to 45.5% in 2011. Japan produced 107.6 Mt in 2011, a -1.8% decrease from 2010. In 2011, South Korea’s crude steel production was 68.5 Mt, a 16.2% increase compared to 2010.
The EU recorded an increase of 2.8% compared to 2010, producing 177.4 Mt of crude steel in 2011. Spain produced 15.6 Mt of crude steel in 2011, a -4.6% decrease on 2010 while Italy produced 28.7 Mt in 2011, an 11.3% increase over 2010.
In 2011, crude steel production in North America was 118.9 Mt, an increase of 6.8% on 2010. The US produced 86.2 Mt of crude steel, 7.1% higher than 2010.
The CIS showed an increase of 4.0% in 2011, producing 112.6 Mt of crude steel. Russia produced 68.7 Mt of crude steel, a 2.7% increase on 2010 and Ukraine recorded an increase of 5.7% with a year-end figure of 35.3 Mt.
Annual crude steel production for South America was 48.4 Mt in 2011, an increase of 10.2% on 2010. Brazil produced 35.2 Mt in 2011, 6.8% higher than 2010.
