WSA: Crude Steel Production at 82 Percent of Capacity

World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the Brussels-based World Steel Association totaled 117 million metric tons in February, an 8.8 percent increase vs. February 2010.

The United States produced 6.6 million tons of crude steel in February, 5.6 percent more than the same month last year. China’s February crude steel production totaled 54.3 million tons, up 9.7 percent month-to-month.

World crude steel capacity utilization in February was 82.0 percent, a slight increase from the 80.9 percent in January. Compared to February 2010, the utilization ratio was 2.7 percentage points higher.