Stainless steel output trends upward

Global stainless steel melt shop production increased by 3 percent in the first nine months of this year compared with the same period in 2024, according to the Worldstainless chapter of the Brussels-based World Steel Association.

Some 48 million metric tons of stainless steel was produced from January through September of this year, up by about 1.8 million metric tons compared with the 46.2 million metric tons of output in the first nine months of 2024.

China has produced more than 64 percent of the stainless steel made so far this year, while the rest of Asia has produced another 22 percent of global output. Production in both China and the rest of Asia has increased by 3.9 percent year on year, while output in Europe has sunk by nearly 12 percent.

While the United States has produced only 3.4 percent of the global total in 2025, its melt shops have been busier this year, according to Worldstainless. The 1.65 million metric tons of stainless steel made in the U.S. in 2025 represents a 9.3 percent increase compared with the total from the first nine months of 2024.

The smelting of primary nickel, an ingredient in stainless steel (particularly in Asia, where less scrap is used), also has trended higher this year compared with 2024.

London-based Earth-i, which collects and analyzes nickel smelting information gathered from satellites, drones and aerial and ground-based sensors, says this October, nickel smelting activity increased by 3.2 percent month on month compared with September.

The company, which also tracks copper smelting activity, says the October smelting figure also is 3.5 percent higher compared with October 2024.

Nickel smelters in both China and Indonesia tend to consume nickel pig iron (NPI) in greater volumes than stainless steel scrap. According to Earth-i, the improved performance of smelters in China in October helped NPI production activity by 3.8 percent month on month.