Raw steel production declined slightly from December 2013 to January 2014, falling 0.4% to total 129.8 million metric tons in the 65 countries covered by the World Steel Association’s monthly tally. That new total was 0.4% less than the result for January 2013.
The same group reported that raw steel capacity utilization during January 2014 rose 0.2% from December to 74.4%, which was 2.5% lower than during January 2013.
The Brussels-based World Steel Assn. maintains raw-steel production and capacity utilization data from its members in 65 nations, which it reports on a monthly basis. Raw (or “crude”) steel is the primary output of electric arc furnaces and basic oxygen furnaces, prior to metallurgical refining and casting into semi-finished products, such as slabs, blooms, or billets. The report includes data on carbon and carbon alloy steel output; stainless steels and other specialty alloy steels are not included.
The most surprising figure in the January report is the continuing cuts in China’s raw steel output.
Read the report at AmericanMachinist.com
