[ferro-alloys.com]Crude steel production in the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association in May dropped 8.7% year on year to 148.8 million mt due to the economic difficulties created by the coronavirus pandemic, the group said June 22, underscoring much of the May data are estimates that may be revised with next month's production update.

Last month, China backed the trend for the second time in a row, with a jump of 4.2% year on year to 92.3 million mt of crude steel. In April, China registered an increase of 0.2% after the decrease of March. Overall Asian countries registered in May a decrease in their output by 3.3% year on year to 113.5 million mt. The second-largest Asian producer, India, produced 5.8 million mt of crude steel in May 2020, down 39.1% on the year-ago month.

Production in the EU is estimated to be 10.5 million mt in May 2020, down 26.8% from May 2019. Worldsteel estimated that Germany, the largest European steel producer, in May registered a decrease in its crude steel output of 18.9% to 2.85 million mt, while the second-largest EU producer, Italy, recorded a decrease of 43.6% to 1.25 million mt.

Production in the CIS is estimated to be 8.2 million mt in May 2020, down 7.6% on the year. Ukraine produced 1.6 million mt of crude steel in May 2020, down 10.4%.

Turkey's crude steel production for May 2020 was 2.3 million mt, down by 25.8%.

In North America production went down by 31.0% to 7.1 million mt in May this year, with US steel production tumbling 36.6% to 4.8 million mt of crude steel.

In South America, May production went down by 25.8% to 2.7 million mt, with Brazil registering a decrease of 22.6% to 2.2 million mt.

In Middle East, production went down by 7.3% to 3.1 million mtin May, with Iran that backed the trend registering a jump in the production of 8.9% to 2.35 million mt.

In Africa, production went down by 42% in May to 700,000 mt of crude steel production.

(S&P Global Platts)

• [Editor:王可]