2012: another record year for crude steel production

Global – Asia produced more than a billion tonnes of crude steel in 2012 as world output edged 1.2% higher year on year to yet another all-time peak of 1.548 billion tonnes. ‘The growth came mainly from Asia and North America while crude steel production in the EU and South America decreased in 2012,’ the World Steel Association (WSA) points out in its latest statistical review.

The global figure not only includes statistics from the 62 countries reporting to the WSA on a monthly basis but also production estimates for nations that only report annually. It is calculated that annual production in Asia was 1.013 million tonnes last year – equivalent to a year-on-year increase of 2.6%. The region’s share of world steel production increased from 64.5% in 2011 to 65.4% last year, with China boosting its output by 3.1% to 716.5 million tonnes in 2012 to claim a 46.3% share of global output.

Crude steel production in North America was 2.5% higher last year at 121.9 million tonnes whereas the EU total of 169.4 million tonnes represented a year-on-year decline of 4.7%. South America also recorded a decrease – of 3% – to 46.9 million tonnes, while production in the CIS region edged 1.2% lower to 111.3 million tonnes despite 2.5% growth in Russia to 68.9 million tonnes.

A more detailed analysis of the WSA figures will appear in the January/February 2013 issue of Recycling International.