Academic Researcher Resources & Intelligence

Production & Trade Statistics

• Market Data: Production, imports, exports, and apparent consumption across most countries (~50 years historical)
• Product-Level Detail: Crude steel, flat products (plate, HRC, CRC, coated), long products (sections, bar, rod, wire), tubular products
• Trade Flow Analysis: Bilateral trade patterns, origin-destination matrices, export / import prices
• Time Series Consistency: Comparable definitions and methodologies across time periods

Capacity & Investment Data

• Plant Capacity Database: 4,500+ facilities with historical capacity changes, technology specifications, ownership
• Capital Investment Records: 1,345+ projects covering expansions, modernisations, greenfield developments (25+ years)
• Closure & Restructuring: Plant closures, capacity reductions, mothballing events
• Technology Transitions: BOF to EAF shifts, continuous casting adoption, net-zero investments

Price & Cost Data

• Historical Pricing: Long-term price series for raw materials and finished products
• Price Forecasts: Long-term projections to 2050 for scenario analysis
• Cost Analysis: Production cost modelling by process route and region
• Profitability Metrics: Industry EBITDA margins vs capacity utilisation (12-year time series), plus 21-year OECD analysis of excess capacity impact

Research Applications

• Steelmaking cost economics
• Industry structure analysis
• International trade patterns
• Price cycle analysis

Market Structure Analysis

• Concentration Studies: Facility-level data for determining industry concentration, or supply shares by region and product
• Geographic Distribution: Plant location data for cluster analysis, transport cost studies
• Vertical Integration: Ownership structures tracking backward integration (raw materials) and forward integration (distribution)
• Steelmaking Technology: Process route data (BOF, EAF, induction furnace), asset age distribution, productivity differentials

Entry, Exit & Restructuring

• Entry Patterns: Greenfield investments, market entry strategies, technology choices
• Exit Analysis: Plant closures, bankruptcy events, capacity reductions
• Merger & Acquisition Activity: 192+ transactions for consolidation studies
• Survival Analysis: Plant longevity, identification of stranded assets

Competitive Dynamics

• Cost Competitiveness: Cost curves for 180+ HRC plants, 250+ bar facilities
• Capacity Utilisation: Operating rates, cyclical sensitivity, adjustment costs
• Strategic Behaviour: Capacity expansion timing, preemption, strategic barriers
• Innovation & Technology: R&D investments, patent activity, technology licensing

Research Questions Supported

• What determines market concentration in steel production?
• What are the productivity advantages of clusters?
• What factors drive vertical integration decisions?
• How do trade costs affect plant location and market structure?

Process Technology Documentation

• EAF Technology: Electric arc furnace developments including scrap preheating, foaming slag, post-combustion, consteel systems
• Steelmaking Technology Innovation: New products and production processes

Educational Resources

• Training Videos: Comprehensive video library covering blast furnace operations, BOF/EAF steelmaking, continuous casting, hot/cold rolling, seamless/welded tube production, forging, and wire rope manufacturing - ideal for teaching and visual learning

Environmental & Energy Research

• BAT References: Comprehensive checklist for steel sector. See also: BAT implementation podcast
• Decarbonisation Pathways: Technology options, carbon intensity, investment requirements, policy mechanisms
• Circular Economy: Scrap utilisation, material flows

Research Applications

• Barriers to steel sector entry and exit
• Capital investment costs for plant and equipment
• Energy efficiency and decarbonisation pathways
• Engineering education and steel industry training

Production Economics

• Cost Models: EAF, BOF, casting, rolling process economics
• Cost Structure Analysis: Variable vs fixed costs, scale economies, learning curves
• Productivity Analysis: Labour productivity, indirect employment
• Input-Output Relationships: Process yields, material and capacity flows

Price & Market Analysis

• Price Formation: Raw material costs, conversion margins, regional price differentials
• Cyclicality: Price cycles, volatility analysis, capacity utilisation correlations
• Short-Term Trends: Discussion of near-term trends
• Longer-Term Forecasting: Long-term price projections for scenario analysis and policy modelling

Investment & Capital Allocation

• Investment Patterns: Capex cycles, regional allocation, technology choices
• Project Economics: 1,345+ projects with investment costs, capacity, payback periods
• Financing Structures: Capital intensity, leverage, government support mechanisms

Policy Impact Assessment

• Trade Policy: Tariff impacts, quota effects, trade diversion analysis
• Environmental Regulation: Carbon pricing, emission levels and standards, compliance costs
• Industrial Policy: Steel state aid, restructuring support, technology subsidies

Decarbonisation Intelligence

• Technology Pathways: Hydrogen DRI, CCS, scrap-based production, electrification
• Development Timeline: Pilot projects, commercial deployments, technology readiness levels
• Investment Requirements: Capital costs, operating costs, carbon abatement costs
• Policy Mechanisms: Carbon pricing, subsidies, standards, public procurement

Environmental Performance

• Carbon Intensity: Process-specific CO2 emissions, regional variations, technology impacts
• Material Efficiency: Scrap utilisation, yield improvements, technology impact
• Environmental Compliance: Emissions standards, BAT requirements

Transition Economics

• Stranded Assets: Closure economics, write-downs, regional impacts
• Green Premium: Willingness to pay, market development, certification
• Competitiveness Impacts: Carbon leakage, trade effects, policy coordination

Global Steel Industry Trends

• Steel Consumption Patterns & Market Evolution: Analysis of demand mix, substitution dynamics, GDP elasticity, cyclicality, and product sophistication trends
• Advanced Process Technology & Energy Efficiency: Technology developments including DRI growth, direct strip casting, and process innovation
• Steel Pricing Dynamics & Raw Material Supply: Price trends, cost-price relationships, capacity utilisation economics, vertical integration patterns
• Labour, Environmental Factors & Sustainability: Workforce dynamics, environmental constraints, water availability, labour cost competitiveness

Research Applications

• Contextualise research within long-term structural industry evolution
• Identify emerging research questions by testing industry assumptions — see busting big steel industry myths
• Benchmark findings against historical industry patterns
• Support literature reviews with expert industry analysis
• Understand technological and market discontinuities

Academic Value

These trend analyses provide expert synthesis of industry developments compiled by leading metal industry analysts, offering valuable context for academic research across industrial economics, technology studies, environmental economics, and strategic management.