World crude steel production reached 174.4 million tonnes in May 2021, up 16.5 percent from a year earlier, the World Steel Association reported on 23 June. It was the highest monthly total ever recorded at the time. China produced 99.5 million tonnes, up 6.6 percent, its second-highest monthly total, while output in the rest of the world rose sharply from the pandemic-depressed levels of May 2020. The gain was smaller than April's 23.4 percent surge, and daily average output slipped slightly from April, suggesting the boom was levelling off. In the first five months of 2021, China produced 473.1 million tonnes, up 13.9 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Finished steel output in China hit a record 124.7 million tonnes in May. The May figures came just as Beijing moved to cool the market, cancelling export tax rebates and warning against speculation, and they marked the peak of the post-pandemic production surge before output curbs began to bite.
Source: Shanghai Metals Market — https://news.metal.com/newscontent/101512509-world-iron-and-steel-association-global-crude-steel-production-of-1744-million-tons-in-may-2021
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