Worldsteel published December, 2022 and full-year 2022 world crude steel production today. World steel output was 140.7 million metric tonnes in December, 10.8% lower than in December, 2021 for the 64 reporting countries. Full-year 2022 steel production including estimates of non-reporting countries was 1,878.5 million tonnes, 4.2% lower than in full-year 2021.
China produced 1,013 million tonnes of crude steel in 2022, accounting for 54% of world output. China’s production fell 2.1% between 2021 and 2022 while production in the rest of the world fell 6.5%. Asian output outside of China showed a 2.9% decline between 2021 and 2022 with India +5.5%, Japan -7.4% and South Korea -6.5%.
Crude steel production in the European Union 27 countries fell 10.5% between 2021 and 2022 with Germany output -8.4% and Italian production -11.6%. In North America, crude steel production fell 5.5% with production in the US -5.9%, in Canada -7.8%, and Mexico -1.6%.
Other significant changes in the top-10 world producing countries include declines in Russia (-7.2%), Turkey (-12.9%), and Brazil (-5.8%), but an increase in Iran (+8.0%).
Based on reported import licenses, US long products imports stayed flat in December, 2022 compared to December, 2021 at 268,000 short tons. A decline in Wire Rod imports from Algeria and Egypt was offset by an increase in All Other Structural Shapes and Rebar imports.
US long products imports for the full year 2022 were 16% higher than in 2021 with the highest volume increase coming from Wire Rod (+22%), followed by Rebar (+9%) and Parallel Flange Sections (+28%).
US long products import licenses
January 2015 to December 2022
Short tons
Installation of rebar reinforcement for an elevator shaft at the new LIRR passenger concourse built in 2018. Photo by MTA Capital Construction Mega Projects, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Based on reported import licenses, US flat products imports dropped 33% from 1,010,000 short tons in December, 2021 to 672,000 tons in December, 2022. The decline was mainly due to lower hot rolled imports from Mexico, Canada and Vietnam, as well as lower hot dip galvanized imports from Vietnam, Turkey and the UAE.
Based on January to November imports and December import licenses, US flat products imports in 2022 were 2% lower than in 2021 with cold rolled +17%, cut plate +4%, hot dip galvanized -5%, and hot rolled -8%.
US flat products import licenses
January 2015 to December 2022
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Steel slab being cut in the casting process at ThyssenKrupp Bruckhausen Plant, Germany from Worldsteel Image Library
Worldsteel reported crude steel production in China at 74.5 million metric tonnes in November, 7.3% higher than in November, 2021. Chinese production in the first eleven months of 2022 was 1.6% lower than in the same period last year.
Data from China’s General Administration of Customs show China’s net finished steel exports (exports minus imports) at 4.8 million tonnes in November, 65% higher than in November, 2021. Net finished steel exports over the first eleven months of 2022 were 7.3% higher than in the first eleven months of 2021.
China produced 74.5 million tonnes this November, accounting for 54% of world output and rising 7.3% on last November. In contrast, world crude steel production outside China was 64.7 million tonnes, declining 12.0% on November, 2021.
The countries outside China which contributed most to this decline include Turkey (-30.7%), South Korea (-18.1%), Japan (-10.7%) and the US (-10.5%).
World crude steel production in the first eleven months of 2022 was approximately 3% lower than in the same period last year while China’s output fell 1.6%.
Based on reported import licenses, US long products imports fell 36% from 375,000 short tons in November, 2021 to 240,000 tons last month. The decline was mainly due to lower rebar imports from Algeria and Spain, as well as lower wire rod imports from Algeria, Canada and Brazil.
Long products imports in the first eleven months of 2022 were 18% higher than in the same period last year with the highest volume increases coming from wire rod (+26%), rebar (+10%), and parallel flange sections (+29%).
US long products import licenses
January 2015 to November 2022
Short tons
BSW GmbH, Kehl, Germany, 20.04.2016, continuous casting of steel billets, from Worldsteel Image Library
