Steel production totaled 131.8 million metric tons worldwide during February,
a 9.0% decline from January but still 3.5% higher than the February 2017 global
total. Through the first two months of this year, steel production for the 64
countries reporting to the World Steel Association was 276.65 million metric
tons, 4.0% higher than last year’s January-February total.

World Steel Assn. tracks raw-steel output and capacity utilization by
steelmakers in 64 nations, which accounts for about 99% of total raw-steel
production worldwide. Raw steel is the output of basic-oxygen and electric-arc
furnaces, and cast into semi-finished products, like billets, blooms, and
slabs.