Global Steel Output Moderating, Still Strong

Production declined 6.0% from October to November, but annual volume continued to expand, now up 4.3% YTD.

Steel production declined 6.0% from October to November, totaling 136.3 million metric tons in the latest total reported by the World Steel Assn. The new figure represents a 3.7% year-over-year increase, and brings the global raw-steel production total through November to 1.54 billion metric tons, a 4.3% year-to-date improvement.

World Steel reports raw-steel output and capacity utilization for 66 nations. Raw (or crude) steel is the product of basic oxygen furnaces and electric arc furnaces, and cast into semi-finished products, such as slabs, blooms, or billets. The monthly report covers carbon and carbon alloy steels; data for production of stainless and specialty alloy steels are reported separately.