World crude steel production for the 66 countries reporting to the Brussels-based World Steel Association has been reported as 95.6 million metric tons in May, a 7 percent increase over the 88.9 million metric tons produced in April.
Compared to the record-setting output of 2008, production remains lower. The May 2009 total is 21 percent lower compared to the 121 million metric tons of steel produced in May of 2008.
China’s crude steel production for May 2009 was 46.5 million metric tons, .6 percent higher than that nation’s output for May of 2008.
But China was an exception in terms of May 2009 vs. May 2008 figures:
- Japan’s output was down by 38.5 percent compared to the same month last year
- South Korea showed a decrease of 11.8 percent
- Germany’s crude steel output was down 47.8 percent in May 2009 vs. May 2008
- Spain produced 41.3 percent less steel than in the same month last year
- The United States produced 4.3 million metric tons of crude steel in May 2009, a decrease of -50.6 percent compared to the same month last year
- Russia’s crude steel production for May 2009 was 4.7 million metric tons, a decrease of 31.2 percent compared to May of 2008.
- Turkey’s decline was less steep, down 16.1 percent in May 2008 vs. May 2009.
Year-to-date, world crude steel production for the first five months of 2009, as calculated by WorldSteel, was 449 million metric tons, a 22.4 percent decrease vs. the same period of 2008.
China’s production of 217.2 million metric tons of crude steel for the first five months of 2009 shows a slight increase of 0.4 percent vs. last year and for 2009 makes up close to half of the global total.
Nearly every other major steel-producing country has shown a decrease for the first five months of 2009 compared to 2008. However, most major steel-producing nations, including the United States, Germany and South Korea, produced more steel in May of this year than in April. Output in the United States moved up by 8 percent in May compared to April.