Japan's crude steel output up for 6th month in a row in Aug'21

Crude steel production in Japan, the third largest steel producing country, was recorded at 7.92 million tonnes (mn t) in Aug'21, as per latest data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).

Production, on a yearly basis, registered a growth of 23% as compared to the corresponding period last year (CPLY). The average daily crude steel output in August stood at 256,000 t, a decrease of 2,000 t from Jul'21.

Steel output rises for six consecutive months

Notably, the country's crude steel output rose for the sixth straight month in August. Japan's steel production has been rising steadily due to the growing demand in the domestic and overseas markets.

Steel demand has increased significantly compared to the same period last year (Aug'20) when production activity remained impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.

Steel output from BOF, EAF sees double-digit growth

The country's crude steel production from basic-oxygen furnace (BOF) was recorded at 6.099 mn t, up 24.6% y-o-y in August while steel production from electric-arc furnace (EAF) grew by 17.6% to 1.825 mn t, as per reports.

Production of ordinary steel stood at 6.03 mn t, up 14.2% y-o-y and that of special steel at 1.88 mn t, up 62.3% y-o-y. The significant increase in special steel production was partly due to recovery in the automobile sector.

Hot-rolled coils (total of ordinary steel and special steel) production registered a 9% y-o-y growth to 6.98 mn t in August, increasing for six consecutive months, SteelMint gleaned from news reports.