Domestic crude steel production in November fell 2.3 percent from a year before to 8.498 million tons, down for the third straight month, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said Wednesday.

Demand was sluggish among Japanese manufacturers such as automakers, federation officials said.

Production of steel from electric furnaces dropped 10.4 percent to 1.976 million tons, the fourth consecutive month of decrease. Steel output from converters rose 0.4 percent to 6.522 million tons, the first increase in three months.

Steel production for fiscal 2012 is estimated at between 106 million and 107 million tons, almost unchanged from the year-before figure of 106.46 million tons, according to the federation.