World Stainless Steel Production Shrinks Slightly in First Quarter of 2012

World Stainless Steel Production Shrinks Slightly in First Quarter of 2012

Preliminary data from the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) shows global stainless steel production shrank 2.8% in the first three months of 2012. Total production was 8.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) for 1Q 2012, down from 8.8 Mt in 1Q 2011. ISSF said all areas showed a decrease in production in the year-on-year comparison. ISSF noted some discrepancies in statistics for the Americas, which are being investigated. Current data shows the Americas region dropped 22% in production in the first quarter of the year, with total production reported to be 0.6 Mt. This information could change once ISSF clarifies the discrepancies. China production of stainless steel declined 1.2% to 3.4 Mt. ISSF noted that CSSC, the Chinese source for this data, changed reporting parameters, leading to some uncertainty about the actual level of production in China. CSSC widened the scope o...

Full article: http://www.appliancemagazine.com/news.php?article=1601114...