New data released by the Iranian Steel Producers Association show the output of semi-finished products stood at 25.34 million tons during the 11 months to Feb. 19, which were 9% less year-on-year.
Billet and bloom made up 15.13 million tons of total semi-finished production, down 13% YOY.
Slab output reached 10.21 million tons to register a 2% decline year-on-year.
The output of finished steel decreased by 5% YOY to 18.03 million tons. Long steel products had a 10.31-million-ton share in the output of finished steel products, posting a 3% decline compared with the similar period of last year.
Rebar production stood at 8.43 million tons (down 4% YOY). It was followed by beams with 1.13 million tons (down 3% YOY) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 752,000 tons (down 1% YOY).
Production of flat steel with 7.72 million tons registered a 7% YOY decline.
Hot-rolled coil comprised 7.59 million tons in this category, showing a 5% YOY decline, followed by cold-rolled coil with 2.36 million tons, down 1% YOY and coated coil with 1.39 down 3% compared with last year’s corresponding period.
The output of direct reduced iron stood at 27.48 million tons during the period under review, down 1% YOY.
Major Producers
According to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO), Mobarakeh Steel Company produced 8.48 million tons of semi-finished products during the period, down 5% year-on-year.
The steelmaker also produced 7.11 million tons of finished steel during the period, down 3% YOY.
In terms of semis production, MSC was followed by Khuzestan Steel Company with 3.01 million tons of output in the 11 months.
Esfahan Steel Company came next with 3.2 million tons of semis output and was followed by South Kaveh Steel Company with 1.29 million tons, Chadormalu Steel Company with 950,372 tons and Sirjan Jahan Steel Complex with 787,048 tons during the period under review.
In terms of finished products, MSC was followed by ESCO with 2.09 million tons. Other key producers of finished products were Kavir Steel Company, Oxin Steel Company, Khorasan Steel Company, Bonab Sheet Company, Azarbaijan Steel Company and Sirjan Steel Company.
MSC also topped the list of Iranian steelmakers both in semi-finished and finished steel production during the current fiscal year’s 11th month (Jan. 21-Feb. 19) by producing 607,568 and 671,132 tons of semis and finished steel products respectively.
Upstream Production
According to IMIDRO, a total of 47.44 million tons of iron ore concentrate were produced in Iran by major steelmakers during the 11 months under review, registering a 3% increase compared with the same period of last year.
Golgohar Mining and Industrial Complex had the highest share of output by producing 15.37 million tons, down 1% year-on-year.
Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Complex followed with 11.13 million tons (up 6% YOY), followed by Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company with 5.63 million tons (down 4% YOY) and Goharzamin Iron Ore Company with 4.38 million tons (up 7% YoY) of output during the period under review.
Other major producers included Iran Central Iron Ore Company with 3.53 million tons (down 8% YOY), SIMIDCO with 2.28 million tons (down 1%) and Opal Parsian Sangan with 2.19 million tons (unchanged YOY).
Iron ore concentrate output during the month to Feb. 19 amounted to 4.6 million tons, registering a 2% increase compared with the same period of last year.
Golgohar was the leading producer during the month, accounting for 1.47 million tons of the monthly output and was followed by Chadormalu with 1.02 million tons of monthly output.
The pellet output of major steel mills reached 46.83 million tons during the 11-month period, posting a growth rate of 10% compared with the same period of the previous year.
Golgohar was again the largest producer with 11.51 million tons (down 1% YOY), followed by Mobarakeh Steel Company with 6.11 million tons (down 11% YOY), Khouzestan Steel Company with 5.13 million tons (down 7%), MIDHCO with 5.11 million tons (down 11% YOY) and Sangan Khorasan Steel Company with 3.64 million tons (up 26%).
Other major pellet producers included Chadormalu with 3.48 million tons (up 2% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 3.63 million tons (up 26% YOY) and Opal Parsian Sangan with 2.92 million tons (down 3% YOY).
Pellet production remained unchanged year-on-year during the 11th Iranian month with 3.85 million tons, IMIDRO’s data show.
Golgohar had the lion’s share with 1.12 million tons of pellet output in the month under review.
Production of direct reduced iron stood at 25.56 million tons during the first 11 months of the fiscal year, down 8% YOY.
Mobarakeh accounted for the largest share of the output with 5.72 million tons (down 13% YOY), followed by KSC with 3.07 million tons (down 14% YOY), Golgohar with 2.55 million (down 7% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 1.63 million tons (up 5% YOY), Hormozgan Steel Company with 1.57 million tons (up 5% YOY) and Chadormalu Steel Company with 1.32 million tons (down 9% YOY).
DRI production reached 1.53 million tons during the month under review, indicating a 33% decrease YOY.
Mobarakeh Steel Company produced 323,941 tons of DRI to lead the market during the month. The company's monthly output declined by 17% compared with the previous year’s corresponding period.
DRI, also known as sponge iron, is produced from the direct reduction of iron ore in the form of lumps, pellets or fines by a reducing gas. It can be processed to create wrought iron.
Iran and India are the world’s biggest producers of DRI.
Exports
A total of 6.64 million tons of semi-finished steel products were exported from Iran during the 11 months to Feb. 19, up 19% compared with the previous year’s similar period.
Billet and bloom had the lion’s share of semis exports with an aggregate of 4.63 million tons, up 10% compared with the previous year’s corresponding period.
Slab exports amounted to 2.01 million tons during the period, up 47% year-on-year.
Exports of finished steel products grew by 14% to 3.01 million tons during the period.
Rebar accounted for the largest portion of finished steel products exported from Iran during the period, with 2.18 million tons. The total volume of Iran’s rebar exports experienced a 29% growth compared with the same period of last year.
Beam exports amounted to 131,000 tons during the period under review, down 18% YOY.
About 180,000 tons of L-beam, T-beam and other types were also exported from Iran during the period, up 6% YOY.
Hot-rolled coil exports amounted to 411,000 tons, registering a 22% decline compared with the year before.
Cold-rolled coil with 16,000 tons registered a 38% decline year-on-year and coated coil with 96,000 tons, up 25% YOY, was the other finished steel product exported from Iran.
Exports of direct-reduced iron increased by 20% YOY to 985,000 tons, ISPA figures show.
Major Exporters
According to IMIDRO, Khouzestan Steel Company exported 1.6 million tons of steel products during the period to register a 17% year-on-year rise and top the list of Iranian exporters.
KSC's exports in the 11th month of the year stood at 86,469 tons, down 17% compared with the same period of last year.
Mobarakeh Steel Company came next with 1.03 million tons of exports during the 11-month period, down 3% YOY.
MSC exported 50,856 tons of steel products in the period, down 61% YOY.
It was followed by Esfahan Steel Company with 1.03 million tons of exports, 18% higher YOY.
The company's exports during the month ending Feb.19 stood at 96,810 tons, 8% growth YOY.
Khorasan Steel Company registered the highest growth of 661% in export volume with 72,000 tons during the period. Iran Alloy Steel Company’s monthly exports registered the highest growth in terms of volume, with 5,901 tons of exports, up 844% YOY.
Imports
Imports of finished steel decreased by 23% YOY to 650,000 tons during the same period.
The imports mostly included HRC with 127,000 tons, down 61%; CRC with 242,000 tons, down 3%; coated coil with 198,000, unchanged compared with last year’s corresponding period; L-beam, T-beam and other types with 33,000 tons, down 21% YOY; rebar with 29,000 tons, up 16% and beam with 15,000 tons, up 67%.
Semi-finished steel imports made up 5,000 tons of the total import volume, unchanged YOY.
Iran imported 2,000 tons of billet and bloom in the period, down 50% YOY. Slab imports stood at 3,000 tons, up 200% from last year's same period.
Iran did not import DRI during the period under review.
Apparent Usage
Apparent steel usage — defined as production plus imports minus exports, sometimes also adjusted for changes in inventories — totaled 15.67 million tons for finished products, posting a 9% year-on-year decrease, according to the Iranian Steel Producers Association.
Long steel products accounted for the largest portion of finished steel consumption with 7.9 million tons, down 10% YOY.
Rebar grabbed the biggest share in this section with 6.28 million tons, down 11% YOY, followed by beams with 1.01 million (unchanged YOY) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 605,000 tons (down 4% year-on-year).
Flat steel products accounted for 7.64 million tons of finished steel apparent usage, down 6% YOY.
Among flat steel products, hot-rolled coil had the biggest share of apparent usage with 7.31 million tons (down 6% YOY), followed by cold-rolled coil with 2.58 million tons (down 1% YOY) and coated coil with 1.3 million tons (down 1% year-on-year).
The apparent usage stood at 18.7 million tons for semi-finished products, registering a 15% decline compared with last year's corresponding period. For billet and bloom, apparent usage amounted to 10.51 million tons, down 20% compared with the same period of last year. The use of slab also decreased by 9% to 8.2 million tons during the period.
DRI usage stood at 26.49 million tons during the period under review, down 2% YOY.
