World crude steel production down 7% year on year in June

Global output was 148.30 million tonnes in June 2020 down from 159.54 million tonnes in the same month in 2019.

China contributed the most to global crude steel production both in June and in the first six months of 2020, producing a total of 91.58 million tonnes of crude steel in June 2020, up 4.5% from 87.67 million tonnes in June 2019.

Turkey and Ukraine also reported increases in crude steel output in June 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. 

India, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the United States, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) all witnessed a decrease in crude steel production in June 2020 compared with June 2019.

The CIS produced 7.95 million tonnes of crude steel in June 2020, down 5.0% on June 2019, while India produced 6.9 million tonnes of crude steel in June, down 26.3% compared with June 2019.

In the first six months of 2020, world steel production was 873.13 million tonnes, down by 6% compared with the same period in 2019. with output down in all regions.

Europe took the biggest hit from the Covid-19 pandemic, with crude steel output down 16.4% year on year to 68.28 million tonnes in the first half of 2020. 

And at 642.00 million tonnes in the first half of 2020, output in Asia was down by 6% in the same comparison.

North America’s crude steel production in the first half of 2020, meanwhile, was 50.17 million tonnes, a decrease of 17.6% compared with the first half of 2019.