The United States made 7.1 million tons of steel in May, a 3 percent year-over-year increase.
The Brussels, Belgium-based World Steel Association reported that the 64 steel-producing countries made 154.9 million tons in May, up 6.6 percent from May 2017. Steel mills worldwide operated at a utilization capacity of 77.7 percent, which is 4.2 percentage points higher than in May 2017 and 1 percentage points higher than in April.
China again made more than 10 times as much steel as the United States in May, according to the World Steel Association. It produced 81.1 million tons of steel that month, an 8.9 percent year-over-year jump.
The United States also was eclipsed in steel production in March by India, which produced 8.8 million tons, and Japan, which made 9.1 million tons.
In May, steel production rose by 3 percent in South Korea, 3.7 percent in Italy, 7 percent in Spain, 0.5 percent in Turkey, and 2.9 percent in Ukraine.
Steel output fell by 6.5 percent in France and 8.6 percent in Brazil in May.
