Swedish crude steel production down 41% year-on-year in July

Crude steel production in Sweden fell by 40.7% year-on-year in July, due to seasonal volatility, maintenance breaks and poor European demand for steel, an official from Swedish steel association Jernkontoret told Metal Bulletin on Monday August 20.

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Total crude steel production in Sweden decreased to 162,000 tonnes in July, from 273,400 tonnes in the corresponding month in 2011.

July’s output results can vary widely as volumes are traditionally low because of the holiday season, the head of Jernkontoret’s market and trade department, Mathias Ternell, said.

“Lower volumes make more variation in results possible. It is the holiday period in Sweden as well as a time of maintenance shutdowns, which can vary year-by-year,” Ternell said.

“Also, European demand for steel remains very unstable,” he added.

August and September will provide better benchmarks for the health of the industry, but expectations of a year-on-year recovery continue to be uncertain in the near term, the association said.

“We plan for the worst and hope for the best,” Ternell said.