Iranian steelmakers’ production of semi-finished and finished steel products each registered 11% growth during the first 10 months of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2022-Jan. 20), the latest data released by the Iranian Steel Producers Association show.
They produced a total of 25.65 million tons of semis during the period, 11% more than in the corresponding period of last year.
The production of billet and bloom reached 15.59 million tons, registering a 13% rise while that of slab stood at 10 million tons to mark a 6% rise.
The output of finished steel increased by 11% to 18.27 million tons during the period.
Long steel products grabbed the highest share of finished steel output with 10.69 million tons, registering a 14% year-on-year increase.
The production of rebar stood at 8.95 million tons (up 16%), beams hit 1.04 tons (up 1%) and L-beam, T-beam and other types of beams amounted to 695,000 tons (up 4%).
Flat steel production reached 7.57 million tons (up 8%) while hot-rolled coil output had the biggest share of flat steel production with 7.34 million tons, marking a 7% rise. It was followed by cold-rolled coil with 2.03 million tons (down 2.1%) and coated coil with 1.17 tons (down 6%).
The output of direct-reduced iron stood at 27.51 million tons during the period, up 7%.
Iran and India are the world’s biggest producers of DRI, also known as sponge iron.
Fiscal 2021-22 in Review
According to ISPA, the output of semi-finished products stood at 27.9 million tons in the fiscal 2021-22, 8% less compared to the previous 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 2% 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% fall.
Rebar production stood at 9.15 million tons (down 4%). It was followed by beams with 1.22 million tons (down 2%) and L-beam, T-beam and other types with 837,000 tons (up 1%).
The production of flat steel with 8.49 million tons registered an 8% decrease.
Hot-rolled coil comprised 8.29 million tons in this category, showing a 6% decline, followed by cold-rolled coil with 2.59 million tons, unchanged, and coated coil with 1.5 million tons, up 2%.
The output of direct-reduced iron stood at 30.33 million tons during the period under review, down 3%.
World’s 9th Biggest Crude Steel Producer
Iran’s global standing in crude steel production has improved, as the country was the world’s ninth biggest producer in January 2022, new data released by the World Steel Association show. The country held the 10th rank for a long time previously.
Iranian steel mills produced a total of 2.7 million tons of crude steel in January, registering a 27.7% rise compared with the same month of 2022.
Iran registered the biggest growth in crude steel production during the month under review among the top 10 biggest producers in the world.
China was the world’s largest producer with 79.5 billion tons, up 2.3% year-on-year. It was followed by India with 10.9 million tons (down 0.2%), Japan with 7.2 million tons (down 6.9%), the United States with 6.5 million tons (down 6.8%), Russia with 5.8 million tons (down 8.9%), South Korea with 5.5 million tons (down 9.8%) and Germany with 2.9 million tons (down 9.8%).
Iran is placed after Brazil (eighth) with 2.8 million tons (down 4.8%).
Turkey comes after Iran with 2.6 million tons (down 17.6%).
The world’s 64 steelmakers produced 145.3 million tons of crude steel in January, down 3.3%. Countries located in Asia and Oceania collectively produced 107.5 million tons of the total.
The Middle East produced 3.8 million tons of crude steel during the period, registering an increase of 19.7%.
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. These steelmakers produced 1.83 billion tons of steel last year, down 4.3%.
In 2022, countries located in Asia and Oceania collectively produced 1.35 billion tons of the total while the Middle East produced 44 million tons of crude steel, posting an increase of 7.1% compared with the same period of the previous year.
Iranian steel mills produced a total of 30.6 million tons of crude steel in 2022, registering an 8% growth compared with 2021.
MSC is the biggest steelmaker in Iran and the Middle East and North Africa region, accounting for about half of the country's steel production.
The state-owned company is located 65 km southwest of the city of Isfahan, near the city of Mobarakeh, Isfahan Province. It is one of the largest industrial complexes operating in Iran.
MSC's products consist of hot- and cold-rolled sheets and coils, pickled coils, narrow strip coil, tinplate sheet, galvanized coil, pre-painted coil and slab that are produced according to national and international standards.
They meet the needs of various industries, such as, automotive, home appliances, pipe making, pressure vessels, food, chemical material and medical packing, construction, transportation, naval industries and heavy metal equipment.
