According to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel), in February this year the crude steel output of 63 countries surveyed across the globe reached 123.26 million mt, increasing by 1.2 percent compared to February 2012 and up four percent compared to February 2011, while it was down 1.2 percent compared to January this year. Total global crude steel production in the first two months of the current year increased by 2.7 percent to 253 million mt compared to the same period of 2012 and was up 4.1 percent compared to January-February 2011.

In February, crude steel output in Asia amounted to 82.9 million mt, up by 5.9 percent, with 61.8 million mt produced by China, up by 9.8 percent, 8.3 million mt produced by Japan, down by 3.4 percent, and 5 million mt produced by South Korea, down by 8.5 percent - with all comparisons on year-on-year basis. In Ferbuary this year, China was the only country which saw a year-on-year increase in crude steel output among the largest crude steel producer countries.

EU-27 countries produced 13.4 million mt of crude steel in February, down 5.6 percent compared with February 2012. In February this year, Germany's output was 3.4 million mt, down by 3.7 percent year on year, Italy's crude steel output was 2.1 million mt, down 15 percent year on year, and Spain's crude steel output was 1.2 million mt, down 1.7 percent year on year.

Turkey produced 2.65 million metric tons of crude steel in February this year, with a 3.9 percent decrease from the same month in 2012. Meanwhile, Iran produced 1.2 million mt of crude steel in February, down by 2.5 percent compared to the same month of the previous year.

The CIS registered a crude steel output of 8 million mt in February, down 9.7 percent year on year, with Russia producing 5.16 million mt, down 11.9 percent compared to February 2012, and Ukraine producing 2.5 million mt, down 1.3 percent on year-on-year basis.

In North America in February, crude steel output totaled 9.2 million mt, down 9.3 percent year on year, with the US producing 6.65 million mt and Mexico producing 1.4 million mt, down 11.8 percent and up 0.5 percent respectively on year-on-year basis.

Meanwhile, crude steel output in South America in February amounted to 3.4 million mt, down by 9.4 percent year on year, with Brazil's output coming to 2.6 million mt, down 6.2 percent year on year.

In the given month, the average capacity utilization of steel mills across the globe was 80.5 percent, up from 76.7 percent in January this year, and down 0.8 percentage points compared to the same month last year.