BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 21. Iran’s raw steel consumption increased by 1.7 percent, during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21 through December 21, 2023), compared to the same period last year, Trend reports.
Data from the Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA) shows that about 18.9 million tons of raw steel were consumed in the country over the course of nine months.
In the same period of the previous year, the country’s raw steel consumption was around 18.6 million tons.
Out of the mentioned 18.9 million tons, nearly 11.4 million tons accounted for the Iran’s billet and bloom consumption, representing a 9.7 percent growth from 10.4 million tons in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the remaining 7.49 million tons accounted for the country’s slab consumption, which is a decrease of 8 percent compared to 8.19 million tons in the same period previous Iranian year.
In addition, Iran consumed 15.2 million tons of steel products in 9 months, showing a 3-percent growth compared to 14.8 million tons in the same period last year.
Also, 26.9 million tons of sponge iron were consumed in Iran during the reporting period. This is an increase of 4.4 percent compared to 25.7 million tons in the same period last Iranian year.
Reportedly, Iran's annual steel production capacity is around 40 million tons. Iran plans to increase the figure to 55 million tons by 2025.
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