TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s production of steel ingots in the first half of the current calendar year (March 20-September 21) reached 14.39 million tons, indicating a 10 percent growth year-on-year, according to Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA).

ISPA statistics show that in the same period last year, the figure stood at 13.89 million tons, IRNA reported.

During the six-month period to September 21, 2020, Iran produced 8.63 million tons of steel blooms and billets as well as 5.75 million tons of steel slabs, with the figures showing year-on-year growths of 13 percent and six percent respectively.

In the same time span last year, the figures stood at 7.67 million tons (billets and blooms) and 5.41 (slabs).

Steel products

In addition, this year, the country produced over 11 million tons of steel products, indicating an eight percent increase compared to that of the same duration last year, which stood at 10.17 million tons.

Earlier, the former caretaker of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, Jafar Sarqeyni, said the capacity of the country’s steel chain has reached 230 million tons in the current calendar year, from 123 million tons in 2013.

He noted, “Today, thanks to efforts by Iranian experts, Iran’s annual raw steel output stands at 37 million tons despite US cruel sanctions.”

According to ISPA figures in September, Iran produced over 9.6 million tons of steel ingots during March 20-August 21, showing a 19 percent increase compared to last year’s figure.

The production of steel ingots during the corresponding five-month period of last year amounted to 8.09 tons.

The report added that over 8.3 million tons of steel products were produced during the said period, indicating a 16 percent hike compared to the figure for the same period of the preceding year, which was 7.22 million tons.

Figures released by the World Steel Association (WSA) on August 24 showed that Iranian steelmakers produced over 16.2 million tons of crude steel during the first seven of 2020, marking a 10.7 percent rise compared to the figure for the same time span of 2019, which was 14.6 million tons.

Iran produced 2.3 million tons of crude steel in July, showing a 14.3 percent increase compared to the figure for the same month of 2019, which stood at 2.04 million tons.

Iran produced 31.9 million tons of crude steel in 2019, according to the WSA figures released in January.

The country plans to increase its annual steel production capacity to 55 million tons by 2025, with exports expected to reach between 10 million tons and 15 million tons per year.