Global steel output up by 1.8% in March

World crude steel production reached 132 million tonnes (Mt) in March 2012, an increase of 1.8% compared to March 2011, reports World Steel Association (worldsteel). Production for the first quarter of 2012 was 377 million tonnes, 1.1% higher than the first quarter of 2011.

In the first three months of 2012, Asia produced 241.7Mt of crude steel, an increase of 1.5% over the first quarter of 2011. The EU produced 43.9Mt of crude steel in the first quarter of 2012, down by -3.9% compared to the same quarter of 2011. North America's crude steel production in the first three months of 2012 was 31.2Mt, 6.7% higher than the first three months of 2011.

China's crude steel production for March 2012 was 61.6Mt, an increase of 3.9% compared to March 2011.

Elsewhere in Asia, Japan produced 9Mt of crude steel in March 2012, up by 2.3% compared to the same month last year. South Korea's crude steel production for March 2012 was 6 Mt, an increase of 3.2% compared to March 2011.

In the EU, Germany produced 3.9 Mt of crude steel in March 2012, a decrease of -3.1% on March 2011. Italy's crude steel production for March 2012 was 2.7Mt, up by 4.5% on March 2011. In March 2012, France produced 1.5Mt of crude steel, an increase of 3.8% compared to March 2011. Spain's crude steel production for March 2012 was 1.3Mt, down by -19.5% compared to the same month in 2011. Turkey's crude steel production for March 2012 was 3.1Mt, an increase of 14.5% compared to March 2011.

The U.S. produced 7.8Mt of crude steel in March 2012, up by 5.4% on March 2011.

Brazil's crude steel production for March 2012 was 3.1Mt, 2.2% higher than March 2011.

The world crude steel capacity utilisation ratio of the 62 countries in March 2012  increased to 81.1%, 1.6 percentage points higher than February 2012. Compared to March 2011, the utilisation ratio in March 2012 decreased by -1.2 percentage points.