Posted on 27 Aug 2025
Global crude steel production among the 70 countries surveyed by the World Steel Association (WSA) dropped by 1.3% on year in July to 150.1 million tonnes, narrowing from an on-year decline of 5.1% recorded in June, according to the latest release by the association on August 22.
Over January-July, the 70 countries' crude steel production amounted to 1.09 billion tonnes, down 1.9% on year, according to the WSA data. For the first seven months of this year, China churned out 594.5 million tonnes of crude steel, logging a 3.1% drop on year and accounting for 54.7% of the global total, Mysteel Global noted.
In July alone, China's crude steel output slipped by 4% on year to 79.7 million tonnes, with its share in the world's total also moving lower to 53.1% from June's 54.9%, Mysteel Global calculated based on WSA statistics.
The on-year fall in China's crude steel output last month was mainly due to increased maintenance work steel mills conducted on their facilities and weak steel demand from downstream sectors during the summer lull.
Frequent summer storm weather including Typhoon Wipha hit China's coastal regions last month and brought torrential rainfall across the country's southern and eastern parts, which, combined with scorching temperatures, dampened downstream steel consumption, as reported.
Still, the 4% on-year drop narrowed from a significant drop of 9.1% seen in June, mainly as many blast furnace steel mills could enjoy relatively high profit margins thanks to the strengthening of finished steel prices in the past month.
Among the world's top ten steel-producing countries, Japan, Russia, Türkiye, South Korea and Brazil also registered on-year drops in their crude steel output in July. All five nations posted lower cumulative output during the January-July period as well, according to WSA.
On the contrary, India, the second-largest steelmaking country in the world, continued to report higher crude steel output. Its July production jumped by another 14% on year to 14 million tonnes, and cumulative output over January-July grew 9.8% on year to 94.9 million tonnes, according to WSA data.
The United States also recorded steady growth, with its crude steel output in July rising by 4.8% on year to reach 7.1 million tonnes, while its output over January-July edged up by 1.5% to 47.4 million tonnes, according to the WSA release.
Source:Mysteel Global
