A total of 9 million tons of finished and semi-finished steel products were exported from Iran in the last fiscal year (ended March 20, 2021) to register a 13.1% decline compared with last year's similar period, the Iranian Steel Producers Association reported.
Semi-finished steel made up 6.1 million tons of the total export volume, down 11% YOY.
Billet and bloom had the lion’s share of semis exports with an aggregate of 4.5 million tons, even though the sum was 6% lower than the previous corresponding period's 4.83 million tons. Slab followed with 1.59 million tons, down 23% YOY. Iranian steelmakers exported 2.07 million tons of slab during the same period of the previous year.
Exports of finished steel products declined by 18% to 2.83 million tons during last year.
Rebar accounted for the largest portion of finished steel products exported from Iran during the said period, with 1.83 million tons. This is while the total volume of Iran rebar exports experienced an 18% fall compared with the same period of last year.
Hot-rolled coil came next with 540,000 tons, registering a 1% growth compared with the year before.
Beam exports amounted to 170,000 tons during the period under review, down 12% YOY. Nearly 189,000 tons of "L-beam, T-beam and other types" were also exported from Iran during the period, recording a 15% decline YOY.
Coated coil with 79,000 tons, down 47% YOY, and cold-rolled coil with 26,000 tons, down 78% YOY, were the other finished steel products exported from Iran.
Exports of direct-reduced iron dropped by 11% YOY to 843,000 tons, ISPA figures show.
Unlike exports, imports of finished and semi-finished steel products increased during the period under review compared with last year’s corresponding period. The ISPA report shows that steel imports stood at 902,000 tons, up 50% YOY.
Semis imports, which consisted of billet, bloom and slab, made up 5,000 tons of the total figure, unchanged compared with the year before. Billet and bloom imports amounted to 4,000 tons, up 33% whereas the import of slab remained unchanged at 1,000 tons.
Imports of finished steel jumped 50% YOY to 897 tons. The imports mostly included HRC with 340,000 tons, up 168%; CRC with 268,000 tons, up 71%; coated coil with 209,000, down 7%; L-beam, T-beam and other types with 43,000 tons, down 7%; rebar with 27,000 tons, down 21%; and beams with 10,000 tons, unchanged year-on-year.
World’s 10th Biggest Steelmaker
Iranian steel mills produced 7.5 million tons of crude steel during the first three months of 2021, which indicate a 10.7% rise compared with 2020, recording the second highest growth in the list of world's top 10 steel producers.
As per the latest report released by the World Steel Association, Iran's March output hit 2.6 million tons, up 10.7% YOY.
The report ranks Iran the world’s 10th biggest crude steel producer. China was the world’s largest crude steel producer in Q1 with 271 billion tons of steel output, up 15.6% YOY.
It was followed by India with 29.6 million tons (up 10.4%), Japan with 23.7 million tons (down 1.7%), the United States with 20.4 million tons (down 6.3%), Russia with 18.9 million tons (down 4.4%), South Korea with 17.6 million tons (up 3.8%), Germany with 10 million tons (up 1.7%) and Turkey with 9.8 million tons (up 9.5%).
Iran is placed after Brazil (ninth) with 8.7 million tons.
The world’s 64 steelmakers produced a total of 486.9 million tons of steel over the three months, up 10% YOY. States located in Asia and Oceania collectively produced 356.9 million tons of the total.
The Middle East produced 10.5 million tons of crude steel in the three months under review, posting an increase of 3.2% compared with the same period of last year.
Closure of businesses and disruption in industrial operations, as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020, was among key factors causing a drop in the output of countries ranked above Iran last year. However, the world's major steel producers seem to have recovered their output in 2021.
Crude steel is defined as steel in its first solid (or usable) form: ingots and semi-finished products (billets, blooms and slabs). This is not to be confused with liquid steel, which is steel poured.
The World Steel Association is one of the largest and most dynamic industry associations in the world, with members in every major steel-producing country. Worldsteel represents steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations, as well as steel research institutes.
Members represent around 85% of global steel production. The 64 countries included in this table accounted for approximately 99% of total world crude steel production in 2019.
Iranian steel mills produced a total of 29.029 million tons of crude steel in 2020, which indicate a 13.35% rise compared with 2019, the highest growth in output in the list of world's top 10 producers.
MSC Tops Producers’ List
Mobarakeh Steel Company, the largest steel producer in Iran, recorded an 8% growth in its annual semi-finished steel output during the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2021).
With the production of 9.84 million tons of semi-finished products, the company topped the list of Iranian steel mills, registering an 8% year-on-year rise.
The company’s output during the 12th month of the year (Feb. 20-March 19) increased by 24% to reach 915,311 tons, latest figures released by Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization show.
Mobarakeh also topped the list of steel producers of finished products. MSC and its subsidiary Saba Steel Company produced 8.03 million tons of finished steel in the last fiscal year, unchanged compared with the year before.
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 semis production, MSC was followed by Khuzestan Steel Company with 3.78 million tons of output. The number indicates a 3% growth compared with the year before.
KSC’s semi-finished output also grew by 6% during the 12th month of the year to reach 312,891 tons.
Esfahan Steel Company came next with 2.35 million tons of bloom output during last year, marking a decline of 3% year-on-year. The company's monthly output of semis dropped by 1% to 205,526 tons.
South Kaveh Steel Company with 1.39 million tons (up 20% YoY), Chadormalu Steel Company with 1.025 tons and Khorasan Steel Company with 940,402 tons (down 20% YOY) were other main producers of semi-finished products last year.
South Kaveh Steel Company ranked fourth in terms of monthly semis production, and recorded the highest monthly growth during the month to March 19. The company’s output stood at 139,409 tons during the month under review, up 61%.
Sirjan Jahan Steel Company posted a 141% growth in semis output during the year under review, the highest growth among steel heavyweights.
Hheavyweight Iranian steel mills under the IMIDRO study collectively produced 22.54 million tons of semi-finished products in the last fiscal year, recording an 8% growth year-on-year.
A total of 2.04 million tons of semi-finished steel were produced by these mills during the 12th month of the fiscal year, up 17% year-on-year.
As for production of finished products, MSC was followed by ESCO with 2.24 million tons (3% lower than the year before).
Other key producers of finished products were Khorasan Steel Company, Bonab Sheet Company, Ahvaz Rolling and Pipe Manufacturing Company, Azarbaijan Steel Company, Sirjan Steel Company and INSIG.
A total of 14.58 million tons of finished steel products, including hot- and cold-rolled coils, rebar, beams, pipes, wide and galvanized sheets, were produced by Iranian heavyweight steelmakers under IMIDRO review in the last fiscal year, up 3% YOY.
Their output of finished steel products hit 1.24 million tons in the 12th fiscal month to register a 9% increase YOY.
As the IMIDRO report does not take into account the production of smaller steel mills, the total output in Iran is higher than the quoted figures.
Another report will be released by the Iranian Steel Producers Association soon, which will include the output of all steelmakers in Iran in the last fiscal year.
