STEEL PROUCTION KEEPS ROLLING

摘要

IISI also released short- and medium-term forecasts for global steel use, predicting that 2006 will be a strong year for the steel industry and that 2007 will see moderate growth. The organization expects world steel use of 1.12 billion mt in 2006, a 9-percent rise from 2005's 1.03 billion mt total. The institute's calculations for 2007 anticipate 5 percent growth over 2006, to 1.18 billion mt. China will again be the strongest growth region in 2007, increasing its steel use to 413 million mt from 374 million mt in 2006. But stronger credit control and administrative measures in China will result in moderate 10.4-percent growth, significantly less than its 14.4-percent growth in 2006, IISI says. World stainless crude steel production reached 13.9 million mt in the first half of 2006, a 6.5-percent increase compared with the same period in 2005, according to the International Stainless Steel Forum (Brussels). The nearly 7.3 million mt produced in the second quarter, an all-time high for a single quarter, is 12.6 percent more than the 6.4 million mt produced in the same quarter in 2005, ISSF reports.