Iran's apparent steel usage in the first four months of the current fiscal year (March 21-July 22) increased for finished and semi-finished steel products compared with last year's corresponding period.
The apparent usage totaled 6.79 million tons for finished products, posting a 22% year-on-year increase, the Iranian Steel Producers Association reported.
Apparent steel usage is defined as production plus imports minus exports, sometimes also adjusted for changes in inventories.
Flat steel products accounted for the largest portion of finished steel consumption with 3.21 million tons of finished steel apparent usage, up 13% YOY.
Among flat steel products, hot-rolled coil had the biggest share of apparent usage with 3.13 million tons (up 17% YOY), followed by cold-rolled coil with 862,000 tons (down 9% YOY) and coated coil with 564,000 tons (up 7% compared with the same period of last year).
Long steel products accounted for 3.47 million tons, up 29% YOY.
Rebar grabbed the biggest share in this section with 2.8 million tons, up 31% YOY, followed by beams with 388,000 tons (up 17% YOY) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 285,000 tons (up 24% compared with the same period of last fiscal year).
The apparent usage stood at 8.38 million tons for semi-finished products, registering a 19% growth compared with last year's corresponding period.
The use of slab also increased by 16% to 4.74 million tons during the period. The apparent usage of billet and bloom amounted to 3.64 million tons, up 23% compared with the same period of last year.
DRI usage stood at 12.38 million tons during the period under review, up 22% YOY.
“The installed capacity of crude steel production in Iran has exceeded 40 million tons per year,” Deputy Industries Minister Vajiollah Jafari said last year.
“The annual production of steel ingots has exceeded 30 million tons,” the official was also quoted as saying by IRNA during the 8th Steelprice Conference held in October 2021.
“Installed capacity in the domestic steel industry is about 36 million tons of direct reduced iron, 66.7 million tons of pellets and 62.7 million tons of [iron ore] concentrate, but still we are facing problems in supplying raw materials,” he added.
Jafari noted that the target capacity of 55 million tons of steel ingots is expected to be achieved by fiscal 2025-26.
Mobarakeh Steel Company is the biggest steelmaker in Iran and the Middle East and North Africa region, accounting for about half of the country's steel production.
