World’s Steelmakers Started Slow in January

January 2018 tonnage of 139.4 mmt is less than 1% higher year-over-year

The world’s primary steelmakers made a tentative move into 2018 with January tonnage rising to 139.4 million metric tons worldwide, less than 1.5% higher than the December 2017 volume and just 0.85% higher than the January 2017 total.

The data is supplied by the World Steel Assn., which tracks raw-steel output and capacity utilization by steelmakers in 64 nations, which accounts for about 99% of total raw-steel production worldwide. Raw steel is the output of basic-oxygen and electric-arc furnaces. It’s cast into semi-finished products, such as billets (seen here), blooms, and slabs.