Steel Products Prices North America
August 21, 2015
Global Steel Production and Capacity Utilization in July 2015
Written by Peter Wright
Global steel production in 12 months through July totaled 1.619 billion tonnes with a capacity of 2.3 billion tonnes. Capacity utilization in July was 68.4 percent with a three month moving average (3MMA) of 70.4 percent, down from 71.6 percent in three months through June. China accounted for 49.4 percent of global production in July. Asia as a whole, including India, accounted for 68.0 percent. Production in July on a tons/day basis was 4.297 million tonnes, down from 4.393 in June.
Tons per day declined in May, June and July. The seasonal pattern evident since the recession is different in 2015. Total July production was 133.210 million tonnes. If we look at the three month moving average and plot it over time we see that there has been a significant decline in the second half of the year since and including 2010 which usually extends into February, after which production kicks up rapidly (Figure 1).
