Worldsteel figures cited in a Wednesday report by Fars news agency showed that Iranian steel mills had churned out some 3.3 million metric tons (mt) of the metal in March, up 3.7% from the same month last year.
The output enabled Iran to climb three places to seventh in the ranking of the world’s largest steel producers, the report said, adding that the top six producers in March were China, India, Japan, the United States, Russia, and South Korea.
India reported the largest rise in monthly steel output among the 10 largest producers, which also included Turkey, Germany, and Brazil, as the country’s production rose 7% year on year in March, worldsteel figures showed.
Iran’s quarterly steel output reached 7.3 million mt in the three months to March, down 12.8% compared to the same period in 2023, according to the figures.
The data showed that Iran’s output had been responsible for 62.26% of the total steel production in the West Asia region, which also includes Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
Global steel production in March amounted to 166.1 million mt, up 2.9% from March 2024, while quarterly output reached 468.6 million mt, down 0.4% year on year, the figures showed.
Iranian steel producers faced energy supply cuts over the past summer and winter months, when household demand for electricity and gas rose to record levels.
That caused a decline in Iran’s production and exports of steel, although the country maintained its position as the world’s 10th largest steel producer in almost all months of 2024.
MNA