With 4.72 million tons of output, Mobarakeh Steel Company had the largest share of steel production in Iran during the first three months of the current fiscal year (March 20-June 20).
The company produced 2.12 million tons of finished steel during the period and registered a 4% decline compared with last year’s corresponding period.
Close to 2.6 tons of semi-finished products were produced by MSC, up 10% year-on-year, the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization’s latest report shows.
MSC’s total output over the month ending June 20 exceeded 1.54 million tons: 660,490 tons of finished steel, down 9% YOY; in addition to 880,461 tons of semi-finished steel, up 9% compared with the corresponding period of last year.
Located in southwestern Isfahan, Mobarakeh Steel Company is the biggest steel producer in Iran and the Middle East and North Africa region.
In terms of finished steel production, MSC was followed by Esfahan Steel Company (ESCO) with 571,121 tons (down 4% YOY), Khouzestan Oxin Steel Company with 230,787 tons (up 8% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 117,401 tons (down 32% YOY) and Azarbaijan Steel Company with 89,213 tons (up 11% YOY) during the first quarter of the current fiscal year.
In terms of semis, MSC was followed by KSC with close to 1.03 tons (up 4% YOY), Esfahan Steel Company with 586,009 tons (down 7% YOY), Chadormalu Steel Company with 254,165 tons (down 3% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 232,596 tons (down 21% YOY) and Khorasan Steel Company with 218,037 tons (down 21% YOY).
The above-mentioned steelmakers, considered heavyweight manufacturers in Iran, produced 9.27 million tons of steel (semis and finished) during the three months under review.
A total of 3.57 million tons of finished steel products, including hot- and cold-rolled coils, rebar, beams, pipes, wide and galvanized sheets, were produced by these steel mills during the period under review to register a 1% YOY rise.
They produced 5.70 million tons of semi-finished steel, including ingot, bloom and billet, during the two months to witness an 8% rise YOY.
12% Rise in DRI Output
More than 8.21 million tons of direct reduced iron were produced during the same three-month period to register a 12% rise compared with last year's corresponding period.
According to IMIDRO, Mobarakeh Steel Company accounted for the largest share of the output with 2.06 million tons (up 3% YOY).
It was followed by Khuzestan Steel Company with 1.25 million tons (up 15% YOY), Chadormalu Steel Company with 421,381 tons (up 22% YOY), Golgohar 789,343 tons, South Kaveh Steel Company with 420,796 tons (up 12% YOY), Hormozgan Steel Company with 401,472 tons (down 1% YOY), Saba Steel Complex with 386,548 tons (up 19% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 271,978 tons (down 26% YOY), Sirjan Jahan Steel Company with 258,077 tons (up 55%), Persian Gulf Saba Steel with 234,372 tons, Neyriz Steel Complex with 219,346 tons (up 26% YOY), Sefiddasht Steel Company with 215,917 tons (up 8% YOY) and Arfa Steel Company with 214,351 tons (up 12% YOY).
Other major DRI producers included Mianeh Steel Complex with 205,590 tons (up 106% YOY), Sabzevar Steel Company with 192,440 tons (up 8% YOY), Baft Steel Company with 189,008 tons (up 293% YOY), Ghadir Iron and Steel Company with 187,436 tons (up 3% YOY), Shadegan Steel Complex with 186,466 tons (up 52% YOY) and Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company with 115,950 tons (down 42% YOY).
Iran’s total DRI output in the third month of the current fiscal year to June 20 grew 16% year-on-year to 2.66 million tons. It is now the world’s top DRI producer.
A total of 12.07 million tons of DRI were produced during January-May to register a 3.47% growth compared with the corresponding period of 2019, according to the latest report released by World Steel Association (the Brussels-based international trade body for the iron and steel industry).
The Worldsteel report shows Iran has overtaken its primary rival, India, which produced 11.01 million tons (down 27.1% YOY) during the period under review to become the biggest DRI producer in the world.
Iran was also the world’s biggest DRI producer in May when output grew 7.61% year-on-year to reach 2.7 million tons last month.
In fact, the output accounted for about half of the global production (5.62 million tons) during the month.
World’s 10th Biggest Steelmaker
The latest data released by the World Steel Association ranks Iran as the world’s 10th biggest steel producer.
Iranian mills produced a total of 11.44 million tons of crude steel from January to May, which indicates an 11.1% rise compared with the corresponding period of 2019, the date show.
The country's May output hit 2.35 million tons to witness a year-on-year growth of 8.9%, according to the Brussels-based international trade body for the iron and steel industry.
Iran aims to become the world’s sixth largest steel producer as per the 20-Year Vision Plan, which targets annual production capacity expansion to 55 million tons and 20-25 million tons of exports per year by 2025.
The country’s steel production capacity is expected to reach 43.6 million tons by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2021), while the actual production is estimated to hit 31.1 million tons to utilize 71% of the nominal capacity, according to IMIDRO.
Iran’s crude steel output stood at 31.9 million tons in 2019, according to Worldsteel, up 30.1% YOY.
