Iran climbs to 9th place among global steel producers: Worldsteel
Figures by the World Steel Association (worldsteel) showed that Iran’s steel production had surpassed Brazil's in May as the country climbed to 9th in the ranking of the world’s largest steel producers.
A Sunday report by IRNA cited latest worldsteel figures as indicating that the Islamic Republic had produced 3.4 million metric tons (mt) of steel in May, up 4.5% from the same month last year.
The output was just 0.4 million mt less than the production reported by Germany, which put the country above Iran in the ranking in May, the report said.
Iran’s steel production in the five months to May reached a total of 14 million mt, down 5.3% from the same period in 2024, according to worldsteel figures.
Global output fell by 3.8% year on year in May to 158.8 million mt, while January-May production also dropped 1.3% to 784 million mt, the data showed.
China, the world’s largest steel producer, churned out 431.6 million tons from January to May, a 1.7 percent decline year-on-year, while India, Japan, the United States, Russia, South Korea, and Turkey occupied the second through sixth positions in the global rankings.
Iran has maintained its position as a major steel producer this year despite facing acute energy supply and price issues.
Steel mills in the country reported natural gas problems in January and February when Iran’s Oil Ministry was forced to redirect supplies to the household sector to respond to rising demand for heating.
Iran’s steel production also declined for a short period in late April and early May when a sudden heat wave caused restrictions on electricity supplies delivered to major industries.