THERAN - Industry figures show that Iran’s production of mild steel rose by 3.2% in the first half of the calendar year that started in late March.
Figures by the Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA) released showed that Iranian steel mills had produced 14.836 million metric tons (mt) of mild steel in the six months to September 22, up from 14.38 million mt reported in the same period last year.
Mild steel or semi-finished steel refers to three types of steel ingots, known as billet, bloom, and slab, that are used to make long steel products, which are then used mainly in the construction of buildings, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.
ISPA data showed that Iran’s production of billet and bloom had risen by 2.6% in April-September compared to the same period last year, to reach 9.048 million mt.
Steel slab production also rose by 4.1% over the same period to 5.788 million mt, the figures showed.
The figures are the latest sign that Iran’s steel industry is recovering from the acute energy shortage issues experienced in the June quarter.
ISPA had also reported a fall of nearly 7% in the Iranian mild steel production in the year to late March.
The figures showed that Iran’s production of rebar (reinforcing bar) had increased by 9.3% compared to April-September of 2024 to reach 5.07 million mt, while IPE (I-beams) production had dropped by 37.5% and angle steel and U-steel output rose by 2.5% to amount to 0.468 and 0.413 million mt over the same period.