ISPA figures cited in local media reports on Saturday showed that the Iranian steel factory produced 26.953 million tonnes (MT) of semifinished steel between April and February.
Semi-finished steel or mild steel refers to three types of steel ingots known as billets, blooms and slabs. These are used to make long steel products that are usually needed for the construction of buildings, roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
ISPA data showed that Iranian billet and bloom production fell 8.4% in the 11 months to late February, reaching 16.498 million mt compared to the same period last year.
Steel slab production fell 3.9% to 10.455 million mt over the same period, numbers show.
This decline has led to lower production of long steel products by major Iranian steel manufacturers.
ISPA figures showed that Iran’s rebar production (reinforcement equipment) fell 4.8% over 11 months compared to the same period last year, while IPE (I beam) production increased by 3.4%, while angle steel and U-steel power decreased by 0.7% over the same period.
The data showed that Iran produced about 19.938 million mt of steel products between April and February.
Industry sources and government officials have denounced the energy supply restrictions imposed on manufacturers this year due to the decline in Iran’s steel production.
Iranian steel producers faced power cuts in the summer when demand for cooling peaked at record levels. Iran’s oil ministry has also restricted natural gas supplies to steel factories over the winter to meet record demand for heating in the country’s home and business sectors.
MNA