Steel production, capacity use dropped further in August

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The Brussels-based World Steel Association (Worldsteel) has reported that crude steel production for the 65 countries reporting to the association was 132 million metric tons in August 2015, down 3 percent compared with August 2014.

The crude steel capacity utilisation ratio for the 65 countries in August 2015 was 68 percent, which is 3.6 percentage points lower than August 2014. Compared with July 2015, it is 0.4 percentage points lower.

Worldsteel also reports that China’s crude steel production for August 2015 was down by 3.5 percent to 67 million metric tons, compared with August 2014. Japan registered a decline of almost 6 percent to a level of 8.8 million metric tons.

In the European Union, Germany produced 3.4 million metric tons of crude steel in August 2015, an increase of almost 11 percent compared with August 2014.

Russia produced 6 million metric tons of crude steel, down by 3 percent from August 2014.

And the United States produced 7 million metric tons of crude steel in August 2015, down by nearly 10 percent compared with August 2014.

For additional August production statistics reported to Worldsteel, visit www.worldsteel.org.