Iran consumed 19.27 million mt of finished steel during the last Iranian year, ended March 20, down 1% from the previous year, while domestic steel production posted gains, according to the Iranian Steel Producers Association.
Output of crude steel climbed 11% to 18.46 million mt and finished steel production rose 4% to 18.15 million mt, the association said in a report posted to its website Sunday.
Iran imported 2.91 million mt of finished steel products in the latest year, down 31%. Imports included 1.65 million mt of hot-rolled steel coil (down 36%), 617,000 mt of cold-rolled coil (down 9%) and 130,000 mt of rebar (down 60%). Iran also imported 187,000 of steel billet and slab, a 44% increase.
As a result of increasing production, exports are also growing, rising to 5.53 million mt last year, up 40.6%. This included 1.79 million mt of finished products, which was 16% less than in the prior year, and 3.74 million mt of semi-finished products, a jump of 108%.
Hot-rolled coil exports totaled 1.07 million mt, a 30% decrease. But slab exports of 1.58 million mt were up sharply from just 88,000 mt in the prior Iranian year.
The exports went to 37 different countries. Flat products went mainly to Europe (largely Italy and Spain) and the Far East, while billet and slab went to the Middle East, the Far East and Turkey.
Thailand was the biggest target country for Iranian steel during the period.
Exports of long products, including different sizes of rebar and beams, went to neighboring countries Iraq and Afghanistan, with some going to Turkmenistan.
