New data released by the Iranian Steel Producers Association show the output of semi-finished products stood at 27.9 million tons in the fiscal 2021-22 (ended March 20), 8% less compared to the corresponding period of last year.
Billet and bloom made up 16.66 million tons of total semi-finished production, down 11% year-on-year.
Slab output reached 11.24 million tons to register a 2% YOY decline.
The output of finished steel decreased by 5% during the same period to 19.64 million tons.
Long steel products had an 11.21 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 9.15 million tons (down 4% YOY) and was followed by beams with 1.22 million tons (down 2% YOY) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 837,000 tons (up 1% YOY).
Production of flat steel with 8.49 million tons registered an 8% YOY decrease.
Hot-rolled coil comprised 8.29 million tons in this category, marking a 6% YOY decline, followed by cold-rolled coil with 2.59 million tons, unchanged YOY, and coated coil with 1.5 million tons, up 2% compared with last year’s corresponding period.
The output of direct reduced iron stood at 30.33 million tons during the period under review, down 3% YOY.
Major Producers
According to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization, Mobarakeh Steel Company produced 9.34 million tons of semi-finished products during the period, down 5% year-on-year.
The steelmaker also produced 7.76 million tons of finished steel during the period, down 3% YOY.
In terms of semis production, MSC was followed by Khuzestan Steel Company with 3.33 million tons of output in the year under review.
Esfahan Steel Company came next with 2.4 million tons of semis output and was followed by South Kaveh Steel Company with 1.44 million tons, Chadormalu Steel Company with 1.05 tons and Sirjan Steel Company with 872,088 tons during the period.
In terms of finished products, MSC was followed by ESCO with 2.32 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 month to March 20 by producing 857,273 and 647,353 tons of semis and finished steel products respectively.
Upstream Production
According to IMIDRO, a total of 51.54 million tons of iron ore concentrate were produced in Iran by major steelmakers in the fiscal 2021-22, registering a 4% increase compared with the same period of last year.
Golgohar Mining and Industrial Complex had the highest share of output by producing 16.45 million tons, which figure is up 1% year-on-year.
Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Complex followed with 12.18 million tons (up 6% YOY), followed by Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company with 6.1 million tons (down 3% YOY) and Goharzamin Iron Ore Company with 4.91 million tons (up 9% YoY) of output during the period.
Other major producers included Iran Central Iron Ore Company with 3.81 million tons (down 10% YOY), SIMIDCO with 2.5 million tons (down 1%) and Opal Parsian Sangan with 2.37 million tons (unchanged YOY).
Iron ore concentrate output during the month to March 20 amounted to 4.1 million tons, registering a 16% increase compared with the same period of last year.
Golgohar was the leading producer during the month, accounting for 1.08 million tons of the monthly output and was followed by Chadormalu with 1.6 million tons of monthly output.
The pellet output of major steel mills reached 50.92 million tons during the year under review, posting a growth rate of 10% compared with the same period of the previous year.
Golgohar was again the largest producer with 12.21 million tons (up 1% YOY), followed by Mobarakeh Steel Company with 6.71 million tons (down 9% YOY), Khouzestan Steel Company with 5.6 million tons (down 2%), MIDHCO with 5.3 million tons (down 15% YOY) and Sangan Khorasan Steel Company with 4.02 million tons (up 22%).
Other major pellet producers included Chadormalu with 3.8 million tons (up 2% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 3.36 million tons (up 349% YOY) and Opal Parsian Sangan with 3.3 million tons (down 3% YOY).
Pellet production witnessed a 13% year-on-year increase during the 12th month of the Iranian year to 4.09 million tons, IMIDRO’s data show.
Golgohar had the lion’s share with 795,597 tons of pellet output in the month under review.
Production of direct reduced iron stood at 28.26 million tons during the year under review, down 7% YOY.
Mobarakeh accounted for the largest share of the output with 6.32 million tons (down 12% YOY), followed by KSC with 3.39 million tons (down 12% YOY), Golgohar with 2.82 million (down 6% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 1.77 million tons (up 2% YOY), Hormozgan Steel Company with 1.71 million tons (up 4% YOY) and Chadormalu Steel Company with 1.46 million tons (down 9% YOY).
DRI production reached 2.62 million tons during the 12th month of the last fiscal year, indicating a 2% decrease YOY.
Mobarakeh Steel Company produced 602,029 tons of DRI to lead the market during the month. The company's monthly output declined by 6% 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.
Double-Digit Rise in Exports
A total of 7.68 million tons of semi-finished steel products were exported from Iran in the fiscal 2021-22, up 25% compared with the previous year.
Billet and bloom had the lion’s share of semis exports with an aggregate of 5.1 million tons, up 12% compared with the previous year’s corresponding period.
Slab exports amounted to 2.58 million tons during the period, up 62% year-on-year.
Exports of finished steel products grew by 20% to 3.4 million tons during the period.
Rebar accounted for the largest portion of finished steel products exported from Iran during the period, with 2.5 million tons. The total volume of Iran’s rebar exports experienced a 36% growth compared with the same period of last year.
Beam exports amounted to 145,000 tons during the period under review, down 15% YOY.
About 200,000 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 433,000 tons, registering a 20% decline compared with the year before.
Cold-rolled coil with 17,000 tons registered a 35% decline year-on-year and coated coil with 115,000 tons, up 46% YOY, was the other finished steel product exported from Iran.
Exports of direct-reduced iron increased by 25% YOY to 1.06 million tons, ISPA figures show.
Major Exporters
According to IMIDRO, Khouzestan Steel Company exported 2.05 million tons of steel products during the period to register a 37% year-on-year rise and top the list of Iranian exporters.
KSC's exports in the 12th month of the last year stood at 454,815 tons, 225% higher compared with the same period of last year.
Mobarakeh Steel Company came next with 1.26 tons of exports during the 12-month period, up 1% YOY.
MSC exported 228,404 tons of steel products in the 12th month of the previous fiscal, down 50% YOY. It was followed by Esfahan Steel Company with 1.12 million tons of exports, 16% higher YOY.
The company's exports during the month ending March 20 stood at 81,867 tons, 1% less YOY.
Khorasan Steel Company’s Rebar registered the highest growth of 604% in export volume with 78,801 tons during the 12-month period. Khorasan Steel Company’s monthly export of rebar also registered the highest growth in terms of volume, with 6,801 tons of exports, up 293% YOY.
13% Decline in Finished, 20% Rise in Semis Imports
The import of finished steel decreased by 13% YOY to 778,000 tons during the same period. It mostly included HRC with 140,000 tons, down 59%; CRC with 264,000 tons, down 1% compared with the year before; coated coil with 224,000, up 7%; L-beam, T-beam and other types with 38,000 tons, down 12% YOY; rebar with 32,000 tons, up 19% year-on-year and beam with 17,000 tons, up 70%.
Semi-finished steel imports made up 6,000 tons of the total import volume, up 20% YOY.
Iran imported 2,000 tons of billet and bloom in the period, down 50% YOY. Slab imports stood at 4,000 tons, up 300% from last year's same period.
Iran did not import DRI during the period under review.
Apparent Usage Down 10% for Finished Products, 16% for Semis
Iran’s apparent steel usage registered a decline in the fiscal 2021-22 (ended March 20) compared with the year before.
Apparent steel usage is defined as production plus imports minus exports, sometimes also adjusted for changes in inventories.
The apparent usage totaled 17.01 million tons of finished products, posting a 10% year-on-year decrease, according to the Iranian Steel Producers Association.
Long steel products accounted for the largest portion of finished steel consumption with 8.45 million tons, down 11% YOY.
Rebar grabbed the biggest share in this section with 6.68 million tons, down 13% YOY, followed by beams with 1.09 million tons (up 1% YOY) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 675,000 tons (down 2% compared with the same period of last fiscal year).
Flat steel products accounted for 8.42 million tons of finished steel apparent usage, down 7% YOY.
Among flat steel products, hot-rolled coil had the biggest share of apparent usage with 8 million tons (down 7% YOY), followed by cold-rolled coil with 2.84 million tons (unchanged YOY) and coated coil with 1.41 million tons (down 1% compared with the same period of last year).
The apparent usage stood at 20.23 million tons for semi-finished products, registering a 12% decline compared with last year's corresponding period.
The apparent usage of billet and bloom amounted to 11.57 million tons, down 19% compared with the same period of last year. The use of slab also decreased by 12% to 8.66 million tons during the period.
DRI usage stood at 29.27 million tons during the period under review, down 4% YOY.
World’s 10th Biggest Steelmaker
Iranian steel mills produced a total of 6.9 million tons of crude steel in the first three months of 2022, which indicate a 4.4% decline compared with the corresponding period of 2021, new data released by the World Steel Association show.
Iran's March output hit 2.3 million tons, down 6.1% year-on-year.
In terms of world ranking, Iran maintained its global standing as the world’s 10th biggest crude steelmaker.
China was the world’s largest producer during the period with 243.4 million tons of steel output, down 10.5% YOY. It was followed by India with 31.9 million tons (up 5.9%), Japan with 23 million tons (down 2.9%), the United States with 20.3 million tons (down 0.4%), Russia with 18.7 million tons (down 1.2%), South Korea with 16.9 million tons (down 3.8%), Germany with 9.8 million tons (down 3.7%) and Turkey with 9.4 million tons (down 4.7%).
Iran is placed after Brazil (ninth) with 8.5 million tons (down 2.2% YOY).
The world’s 64 steelmakers produced 456.6 million tons of steel in the three months under review, down 6.8% YOY. Countries located in Asia and Oceania collectively produced 331.3 million tons of the total.
The Middle East produced 10.2 million tons of crude steel during the period, posting a decrease of 1.9% compared with the same period of last year.
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 industrial associations, with members in every major steel-producing country.
Worldsteel represents steel producers, national and regional steel industry associations and steel research institutes. Members represent around 85% of global steel production.
The 64 countries included in the Worldsteel report produce 85% of global steel.
Iranian steel mills produced a total of 28.5 million tons of crude steel in 2021, registering a 1.8% decline compared with 2020.
The world’s 64 steelmakers produced 1.91 billion tons of steel last year, up 3.6% YOY. Countries located in Asia and Oceania collectively produced 1.38 billion tons of the total.
The Middle East produced 41.2 million tons of crude steel, posting an increase of 1.2% compared with the same period of last year.
Global steel output also experienced a 3% decline in December to 158.7 million tons.
