Tepid Growth in Iran's Steel Production

EghtesadOnline: A total of 4.01 million tons of iron ore concentrate were produced in Iran during the first Iranian month (March 21-April 20) to register a 1% decline compared with the same month of the year before.

News ID: ۷۴۷۴۱۰

25 May 2019

According to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization’s latest report, Golgohar Mining and Industrial Complex accounted for 1.43 million tons of the total output (down 7% YOY), followed by Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Complex with 934,112 tons (up 25% YOY), Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company with 460,906 tons (down 8% YOY), Iran Central Iron Ore Company with 384,650 tons (down 17% YOY) and Goharzamin Iron Ore Company with 378,995 tons (unchanged).

Other major producers were Opal Parsian Sangan with 257,014 tons (up 7% YOY), National Development Company with 101,402 tons (up 99% YOY), Sabanour Mining and Industrial Development Company with 35,739 tons (down 56% YOY) and Jalalabad Iron Ore Complex with 23,528 tons (down 57% YOY).

Pellet output hit 3.8 million tons during the month, up 6% YOY. Golgohar was the largest producer with 1.5 million tons (down 3% YOY), followed by Mobarakeh Steel Company with 664,850 tons (down 2% YOY), Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company with 580,077 tons (up 39% YOY), Khouzestan Steel Company with 540,037 tons (down 12% YOY), Chadormalu with 339,339 tons (down 5% YOY), Opal Parsian Sangan with 307,192 tons (down 14% YOY), Sangan Mineral and Industrial Company with 213,891 tons (up 637% YOY) and Khorasan Steel Company with 70,327 tons (up 118% YOY), according to Financial Tribune.

The production of direct-reduced iron stood at 2.34 million tons, up 4% YOY. Mobarakeh accounted for the largest share of the output with 700,544 tons (up 2% YOY), followed by KSC with 371,553 million tons (up 7% YOY), Hormozgan Steel Company with 134,358 tons (down 10% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 123,664 tons (up 5% YOY), Saba Steel Complex with 116,763 tons (up 19% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 105,558 tons (down 27% YOY), MIDHCO with 75,399 tons (down 1% YOY) and Arfa Steel Company with 75,000 tons (unchanged).

Other DRI producers included Ghadir Iron and Steel Company with 72,590 tons (up 6% YOY), Sefiddasht Steel Company with 65,051 tons (up 22% YOY), Sabzevar Steel Company with 63,031 tons (down 6% YOY), Neyriz Steel Complex with 60,308 tons (up 11% YOY), Saba Steel with 57,069 tons, Shadegan Steel Complex with 35,128 tons (down 33% YOY) and Mianeh Steel Complex with 28,057 tons (down 60% YOY).

Iran was the second biggest producer with 6.91 million tons of DRI production during the first three months of 2019 to register a 21.7% year-on-year growth, the latest report released by the World Steel Association shows.

Iran’s March DRI output grew 25.2% year-on-year to hit 2.47 million tons.

The country produced a total of 25.54 million tons of DRI in 2018, up 31.6% YOY.

India, Iran's primary rival in DRI output, reduced its Q1 production by 1.1% YOY to 8.2 million tons.

Downstream Output

From the above raw materials, a total of 1.75 million tons of slab, bloom, billet and ingot were produced during the one-month period under review, up 1% YOY.

Mobarakeh Steel Company, with its subsidiaries Saba and Hormozgan Steel, was the biggest producer with 826,540 tons (down 4% YOY). KSC came next with 325,902 tons (down 5% YOY), followed by ESCO with 202,330 tons (down 4% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 101,029 tons (up 10% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 97,933 tons (up 7% YOY), Chadormalu Steel Company with 87,626 tons (up 31% YOY), Arfa Iron and Steel Company with 77,000 tons (up 31% YOY) and Iran Alloy Steel Company with 39,558 tons (up 63% YOY).

According to Deputy Industries Minister Jafar Sarqeini, currently, Iran’s steel production capacity stands at 34 million tons per year.

Iranian steel mills produced 25 million tons of crude steel in 2018, up 17.7% compared with 2017, according to Worldsteel.

Iran has been ranked the world’s 10th biggest producer of steel in 2018. The country is placed between Brazil (ninth) with 34.73 million tons and Italy (11th) with 24.47 million tons.

The world’s 64 steelmakers produced 1.78 billion tons of steel in 2018, up 4.5% YOY.