Global steel production is up 5 %

Global steel production is up 5 %. World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association was 127-million tons in April, 5% up from April 2010. China’s crude steel production for the month was 59-million tons, up 7,1% compared with April 2010 production. Japan’s production was 8,4-million tons. South Korea produced 15,9% more steel to total 5,9-million tons in April. Germany’s production was 3,8-million tons and Italy produced 2,5- million tons, up 9,8% compared with the same period last year. Spain’s production was 1,5-million tons. Turkey’s production was 2,8-million tons, an increase of 14,3%. The US produced 7,1-million tons, 2,1% higher than in April 2010, and Egypt’s crude steel production was 0,5-million tons. To keep up with this steel production level chrome ore and iron ore demand to increase in 20011. Iron ore and ferrochrome are the main ingredients of steel. Chromite ores are converted into ferrochrome through smelting. Metallurgical ferro chrome major usage is the production of stainless steel. Chrome ore biggest benefit in the metallurgy ferrochrome usage is its corrosion resistance, hardness, strength and bright furnish. In the production of stainless steel, the use of ferro chrome has no substitute, so as long as stainless steels are being produced worldwide, the demand for chromite ores will exist. Up to 25% of the weight of stainless steel is ferro chrome. South Africa is the largest producer of chromite ores and supplies approximately 50% of world's supplies of chromite ores. Other countries playing a significant role in the supply of chromite ores are Kazakhstan, India, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Russia, Albania, Brazil, Finland, Australia, Iran and Oman.