August global steel output drops month on month

Production at steel mills in the 70 countries that report to the Brussels-based World Steel Association (Worldsteel) fell by nearly 5 million metric tons (mmt) this August compared with the prior month.

According to Worldsteel, August crude steel output of 145.3 mmt dropped by 3.2 percent compared with July production of 150.1 mmt. The group also notes the August production figure represents a 0.3 increase in output compared with one year earlier.

As the producer of about 55 percent of the world’s crude steel, Chinese mill production influenced the direction of output last month.

Chinese mills produced 2.3 mmt fewer tons of steel this August compared with the previous month, representing a 2.9 percent decline for the country’s steel sector.

Year on year, China’s steel output fell by 0.7 percent this August compared with August 2024, while through the first eight months of 2025, Chinese mill production fell by 2.8 percent compared with the first two-thirds of 2024.

The United States mill sector enjoyed a 3.2 percent year-on-year boost in output this August and has experienced a 1.6 percent increase in production year to date. U.S. output this August of 7.2 mmt also represented growth from the 7.1 mmt of output this July.

For steel recyclers in the U.S., the growth of mill output combined with production growth in Turkey and India so far in 2025 should provide encouraging news.

Industry observers such as Atilla Widnell of Navigate Commodities, however, have noted that semifinished steel slabs made in China and elsewhere and shipped globally—and to Turkey in particular—sometimes mean rolling mills in Turkey and India have been busier than melt shops.

In August, India and Turkey were joined by Iran in realizing the largest year-on-year steel production increases compared with last year, according to Worldsteel.

Year to date after eight months of 2025 data, India, the U.S. and Turkey are the only nations among the world’s 10 largest steel producers that have recorded year-on-year output increases, according to the association.

Nations producing less steel so far in 2025 include Germany (-11.9 percent), Russia (-4.8 percent), Japan (-4.5 percent), Iran (-3.6 percent), South Korea (-3.5 percent), China; (-2.8 percent) and Brazil (-1.5 percent).

Month on month, the sharpest output decline in percentage terms this August was experienced in Iran (-27.3 percent), while the only nations where output rose were India, Turkey and the United States, according to Worldsteel.