
World crude steel production fell 5.3 percent year on year to 135.7 million tonnes in December 2023, the World Steel Association reported on 25 January 2024, the weakest month of the year. China produced 67.4 million tonnes, down 14.9 percent on December 2022, as mills cut output for the winter and demand stayed soft. For the full year, total world crude steel production was 1,888.2 million tonnes, almost unchanged from 2022. The 71 countries reporting monthly to the association produced 1,849.7 million tonnes, down 0.1 percent. The year ended much as it had begun: with Chinese output dominating the global total, European and North American production under pressure, and India the fastest growing of the major producers. India ended the year as the clear second largest producer, with output up 12.2 percent to 140.7 million tonnes, while Japan fell 2.5 percent to 87.0 million tonnes.
Source: World Steel Association — https://worldsteel.org/media/press-releases/2024/december-2023-crude-steel-production-and-2023-global-totals/
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (freely licensed).
