In the first four months, steelmakers in Hebei produced 40.97 million tons of steel, 40.46 million tons of steel products and 41.52 million tons of pig iron, up 8.31 percent, 9.99 percent and 12.5 percent respectively. Key steel producers had a year-on-year profit drop of 88.26 percent, 14.58 percentage points lower than 102.84 percent during the first quarter. In April, these producers earned a profit of 371 million yuan, compared to a loss of 62 million yuan in March.