Global pig iron production increased in the first quarter

In the January-March 2023 period, global pig iron production amounted to 348.88 million tons, increasing by 3.1% compared to the same period of 2022. Global pig iron production in March amounted to 120.06 million tons, up 4.4% y-o-y and 3.6% y-o-y.

In the first quarter of 2023, global pig iron production by the blast furnace method was 322.93 million tons and by the direct reduction iron method was 25.95 million tons.

The largest pig iron producing countries in the period from January to March 2023:

• China – 219.83 million tons (+7.6% a year);
• India – 32.92 million tons (+8.2% a year);
• Japan – 15.67 million tons (-6.4% per year).

In the January-March 2023 period, Ukraine produced 1.2 million tons of pig iron, which is 65.7 percent less than in the same period of 2022. Thus, the country decreased to 19th place in the world pig iron producers ranking.