By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

June 27, 2016 04:14:13 AM

SPOKANE (Scrap Monster): According to the recent data published by the World Steel Association, the crude steel production by South American countries dropped significantly during the month of May this year. The total monthly output declined by 13.7% to 3.302 Million tonnes.

The total crude steel production by Argentina during May was 379,000 tonnes, down considerably by 7.7% than the May 2015 production of 411,000 tonnes. Brazil produced 2.590 Million tonnes of crude steel, dropping by 13.2% when compared to 2.983 Million tonnes production achieved during May last year. The Chilean May crude steel production too declined by over 5% to 85,000 tonnes in May this year. The total crude steel production by Colombia increased marginally by 3.4% to 105,000 tonnes in May this year. Colombia was the only country to report rise in crude steel output during the month.

Ecuador’s crude steel output dropped significantly by 10.20% on year-on-year basis. The crude steel output by Ecuador was 50,000 tonnes in May this year, down when compared with 56,000 tonnes during May last year.  Paraguay’s crude steel output dropped sharply by 21.6% during the month.

The crude steel output by Peru dropped sharply by 26.1% year-on-year. The crude steel output of Uruguay dropped significantly by over 36% when compared with the year before levels. Venezuelan production dropped considerably by 76.6% year-on-year from 85,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes.

The following table provides cumulative crude steel output for the first five months in 2016 in comparison with those during same period in 2015.

Note: Output in thousands of tonnes

Meantime, the crude steel production by North American countries dropped marginally by 0.8% during the month of May year-on-year. The production totaled 9.590 Mt in May this year as against 9.667 Mt recorded in May ‘15.

The total crude steel production by Canada during May this year was 1.140 Mt, rising significantly by 6.5% when compared with the May 2015 production. The US produced 6.820 Million tonnes of crude steel, slightly lower by 0.4% when compared to 6.844 Million tonnes production achieved during May 2015. The total crude steel production by Mexico edged lower by over 4% from 1.642 Mt in May ‘15 to 1.575 Mt in May this year.

The Cuban crude steel production decreased sharply by 15.8% year-on-year to 20,000 tonnes. The crude steel output by El Salvador was estimated at 10,000 tonnes in May this year, up slightly when compared with May last year. Guatemala produced 25,000 tonnes in May, lower by 18.6% when matched with the production during the same month a year before. The crude steel output by Trinidad & Tobago nosedived to zero in May this year from 46,000 tonnes during same month the previous year.

The following table provides cumulative crude steel output for the first five months in 2016 in comparison with those during same period in 2015.

Note: Output in thousands of tonnes