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Crude steel production for the 65 countries reporting to Worldsteel was 134.4 million tonnes in September, a decrease of 0.1% compared with the 134.5 million tonnes recorded in the corresponding month in 2013.
Crude steel output in China was 67.5 million tonnes in September, the same as in September 2013.
The 0.9% increase in total crude steel output in Asia was therefore the result of growth recorded in India (+2.5%), South Korea (+10.1%) and Taiwan (+12.5%), although production in Japan dropped by 0.5%.
In the European Union, crude steel production was 14.1 million tonnes, a 1.7% decline compared with September 2013.
Among the biggest European producers, Italy was the only country that showed a positive figure, with a 0.7% increase year-on-year. Crude steel production dropped by 0.5% in France, by 3.0% in Germany, by 3.6% in the UK and by 12.8% in Spain.
Outside the European Union, Ukraine lost about 1 million tonnes of crude steel production, a fall of 37% compared with September 2013, mainly due to the supply and logistical problems related to the fighting in the eastern part of the country.
Russia compensated for only part of Ukraine’s output, increasing its crude steel production by 350,000 tonnes, which was 6% more than in September 2013.
In the Americas, the USA produced 7.3 million tonnes of crude steel, a minimal decline of 0.1% compared with September 2013, while production in Brazil went down by 3.8% to 2.9 million tonnes, compared with 3.0 million tonnes in September 2013.
Worldsteel’s estimated global utilisation rate was 76.1%, 2.6% lower than in the corresponding period last year.