The global production of crude steel stood at 143.3 million tonnes (MT) in May 2017. This is a rise of 2% compared to global output recorded in May 2016, as per data compiled by the World Steel Association. China’s crude steel output was 72.3 MT, an increase of 1.8% year on year, while Japan produced 9 MT crude steel, up 0.1%.
The US produced 7 MT of crude steel in May, an increase of 0.2% compared to May 2016. Brazil’s crude steel production stood at 2.9 MT, growing by 13.2%. In the EU bloc, Germany produced 3.8 MT of crude steel, registering a decline of 1.4% from a year earlier.
Besides, the crude steel capacity utilization ratio of 67 countries in May stood at 71.8%, 0.5% higher than a year ago. Compared to April, it is 1.8% points down.