Crude steel production in Italy in March decreased against previous year

Italian crude steel production decreased by a significant 12.6% in March compared to the same period last year to 1.91 million tons, according to WorldSteel data. Crude steel production for the period January-March 2024 was down 4.5% on the year to 5.4 million tons, despite a 5% increase in crude steel output compared to February.

Sources emphasized that high energy costs in Italy had a negative impact on production, while government subsidies fell short of expectations and some planned contracts were postponed, which had a negative impact on the data.

In long products, March 2024 witnessed an 11% decrease, but an increase of 9.1% on an annual basis, with production reaching 1.2 million tons. For flat products, steelmakers in Italy experienced a 14.2% decrease in March, with output falling to 794,000 tons, down 17.4% from February.

Across European Union countries, crude steel production totaled 11.6 million tons in March, down 4.3% from a year earlier. Based on these data, no significant recovery in Italy's steel production is expected and the situation is expected to remain unchanged until 2025.