South American steel production outpacing early 2020

Steel production figures collected by the Brussels-based World Steel Association (Worldsteel) indicate output in South America in the first two months of this year has surpassed the pre-COVID-19 levels of steelmaking in the first two months of 2020.

According to Worldsteel, the 7.3 million metric tons of steel made in early 2021 in the South American nations that report to the group represents a 6.6 percent increase over output in the first two months of last year. (Nations reporting to Worldsteel include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.)

The continent’s largest producer, Brazil, has exceeded that average rise in production despite its ongoing woes in dealing with the virus that causes COVID-19. The nation’s mills produced 5.8 million metric tons of steel in the first two months of this year, an increase of 7.3 percent compared with the first two months of 2020.

South America’s boost in output is surpassed by a 10.1 percent rise in Worldsteel’s Asia and Oceania region and a 6.9 percent rise in its “Europe, Other” region, which includes non-EU nations such as the United Kingdom, Norway and Serbia.

The association’s North American region, meanwhile, which includes the United States, Mexico and Canada, made 7.1 percent less steel in the first two months of this year compared with early 2020.