World crude steel production fell sharply in April as lockdowns shut factories and construction sites across most major producing countries. Output for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association was 137.1 million tonnes, down 13.0% from April 2019. China was the only large producer to grow, making 85.0 million tonnes, up 0.2% on the year, and accounting for more than 60% of world output. Production in the European Union, including Britain, dropped 22.9% to 10.7 million tonnes. The association warned that many April figures were estimates that could be revised, because the pandemic had disrupted both production and the collection of statistics. Output for the first four months of 2020 was 4.1% lower than in the same period of 2019.
Source: Engineering News — https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/global-steel-production-down-13-yy-2020-05-22
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