World crude steel production fell 5.0 percent year on year to 155.7 million tonnes in April 2024, the World Steel Association reported on 22 May. China produced 85.9 million tonnes in the month, down 7.2 percent on April 2023, as mills kept output restrained in the face of weak domestic demand and thin margins. Chinese output in the first four months of the year totalled 343.7 million tonnes, down 3.0 percent on the year. April was the third consecutive month of year-on-year decline in global output, after falls of 4.3 percent in March and 1.6 percent in January, with only February showing growth. The weakness came despite Beijing's signal in early April that it would reintroduce controls on crude steel production for 2024, following a plea from the China Iron and Steel Association for mills to adjust output to demand and bring forward maintenance.
Source: World Steel Association — https://worldsteel.org/wp-content/uploads/April-2024-crude-steel-production.pdf
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