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Steel Industry Country Profiles

Country Profiles

World map showing major steel-producing countries
Steel country profiles

This section of SteelOnTheNet provides independent, in-depth profiles of national steel industries — covering the major producing and consuming nations that together account for over 95% of world steel output. Each profile is a standalone reference document for the country's steel sector, structured consistently to allow direct comparison across markets.

The profiles draw on data from the World Steel Association, BIR, USGS, national industry associations, company reports, and proprietary analysis. They are updated as significant changes occur — new capacity, ownership events, policy changes, and shifts in trade flows — and are cross-referenced with SteelOnTheNet's wider market data resources.

What Each Profile Covers

🏭 FacilitiesKey plants, capacities, process routes, and major site-level data
📐 InvestmentsPlanned and in-progress capacity investment and technology programmes
⚓ Logistics & PortsRaw material import terminals, finished product export infrastructure
🏢 OwnershipProducer groups, foreign ownership, state vs private structure
⚙️ Resources & EnergyIron ore, coking coal, scrap, energy cost and supply security
♻️ Scrap FlowsGeneration, imports, exports, and benchmark pricing
📊 Market & DemandApparent consumption, per capita use, end-use sector breakdown
⚠️ Key IssuesStructural challenges, policy risks, and decarbonisation trajectory

Published Country Profiles

China flag

China

~1,005 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — world #1 (53% of global total)

The dominant force in global steel. Baowu, HBIS, Ansteel, Shagang, Jianlong. BF–BOF dominated; EAF transition underway. Structural overcapacity; export surge; Belt & Road overseas investments.

BF–BOF Overcapacity Net exporter State-owned
View China profile →
India flag

India

~149 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — world #2, fastest growing major producer

Rapid capacity expansion. JSW Steel, Tata Steel, SAIL, AMNS India. Predominantly BF–BOF; 300 Mt capacity target by 2030. Low per capita consumption; infrastructure-driven demand growth.

BF–BOF Expanding Scrap importer Private + SOE
View India profile →
Japan flag

Japan

~84 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — world #3

Premium flat products; 100% ore and coal imported. Nippon Steel (now owns US Steel), JFE, Kobe Steel. Structural demand decline; BF rationalisation; COURSE50 hydrogen programme. Major scrap exporter.

BF–BOF Premium products Scrap exporter Rationalising
View Japan profile →
USA flag

United States

~79.5 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — world #4

70% EAF dominated. Nucor, Cleveland-Cliffs, US Steel (Nippon Steel), Steel Dynamics, CMC. Section 232 tariffs; Danieli ECR micro-mill programme; world’s largest scrap exporter.

EAF dominant Section 232 Scrap exporter Private
View USA profile →
Turkey flag

Türkiye

~37 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — world #8, #1 in Europe

EAF/scrap-based model. Erdemir/İsdemir (Oyak), Tosyalı (Algeria), Kardemir, Çolakoğlu, İçdaş. World’s largest seaborne scrap importer; leading long products exporter; EU CBAM exposure.

EAF Scrap importer Long products CBAM risk
View Türkiye profile →
Egypt flag

Egypt

~10.7 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — Africa’s largest producer

EAF and DRI–EAF routes; rebar-dominated. Ezz Steel (market leader), Alexandria National Steel (Saudi-owned), Hadisolb. Structural overcapacity; currency-suppressed scrap imports; flat product gap.

EAF / DRI Rebar Overcapacity Africa #1
View Egypt profile →
UK flag

United Kingdom

<4 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — BF era ended; EAF transition underway

Tata Steel Port Talbot (EAF under construction), British Steel Scunthorpe (government special measures), Celsa Cardiff. 100% foreign-owned capacity; ~70% import dependent; major scrap exporter.

EAF transition Foreign-owned Scrap exporter Import dependent
View UK profile →
Germany flag

Germany

~35 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — Europe’s largest producer

thyssenkrupp Steel (ownership unresolved), Salzgitter (SALCOS DRI programme), ArcelorMittal Bremen & Eisenhüttenstadt. Energy cost crisis; Chinese import pressure; EU CBAM. Deep BF–BOF-to-DRI–EAF transition underway.

BF–BOF DRI transition Energy crisis CBAM
View Germany profile →
Italy flag

Italy

~20 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — EU’s second-largest producer

70% EAF-based; Arvedi, Feralpi, Beltrame, Pittini. Taranto BF–BOF complex mired in environmental and ownership crisis. Europe’s largest scrap importer; major re-rolling and tube sector; high energy costs.

EAF dominant Taranto crisis Scrap importer Tube & re-rolling
View Italy profile →
Canada flag

Canada

~12.5 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — 90%+ exports historically to the US

ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Cleveland-Cliffs (Stelco), Algoma Steel (EAF transition complete). Devastated by 50% US Section 232 tariffs from 2025; Ontario automotive sector under pressure; all primary capacity foreign-owned.

EAF transition Section 232 Foreign-owned Auto steel
View Canada profile →
Australia flag

Australia

~4.7 Mt
Crude steel output 2024 — world’s largest iron ore exporter

BlueScope Port Kembla (BF–BOF), Whyalla Steelworks (in administration; A$2.4Bn rescue), InfraBuild (EAF). Net steel importer despite dominant iron ore position. Green steel hub potential in Western Australia.

BF–BOF Whyalla crisis Net importer Iron ore exporter
View Australia profile →
Ukraine flag

Ukraine

~7.4 Mt
Crude steel output 2025 — 36% of pre-war 21 Mt capacity lost or seized

Metinvest (AMKR, Kamet, Zaporishstal), ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. Azovstal and Mariupol plants destroyed/seized. Coking coal 100% imported since Pokrovsk mine closure; CBAM applied without force majeure exemption.

Wartime operations CBAM impacted Reconstruction potential H₂-DRI opportunity
View Ukraine profile →
⚛ Also in this section:

A comparative analysis of the structural strengths and weaknesses of all 12 profiled steel industries — production rankings, key competitive advantages, principal vulnerabilities, and strategic outlook for each country, with WorldSteel 2024 data.

Steel Industry Strengths & Weaknesses by Country →

About These Profiles

Each country profile is a structured reference document produced by Dr Andrzej M Kotas and the SteelOnTheNet research team. The content follows a consistent architecture across all profiles, enabling direct cross-country comparison — a feature particularly valued by investors, consultants, and procurement teams active across multiple markets.

The profiles are updated as significant developments occur: new capacity commissions, major ownership changes, trade policy shifts, and material revisions to demand or production data. Production data is cross-referenced against World Steel Association statistics; scrap trade data against BIR (Bureau of International Recycling) full-year reports; company figures against WorldSteel Top 50 and annual reports.

Methodology note: Country-level output and installed capacity figures use the installed-in-country definition (all steelmaking located within the country, regardless of ownership). Where producers have significant overseas operations, these are separately documented in a cross-border operations table within each profile.