Some people just love a good chart. Here's a few.

There is no question that China is importing more scrap. Just look at that increase from February to March. No doubt they are trying to maximise the use of scrap. Is that an issue? Not exactly. 77,000 tonnes imported in April.

So what about steel production, then?

Well, if we go to the second table in the second article, we find that China produced 94 million tonnes of steel in March 21.

Ok, there is also locally produced, Chinese scrap- but hey, imported scrap is just not going to replace imported iron ore- not in a very, very long time.

China's ferrous scrap import volumes double in Apr'21

Melting Scrap

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31 May 2021, 18:02 IST

China, the world's biggest importer of ferrous scrap, imported 71,433 tonnes (t) of the material in Apr'21, up by 127% from 31,496 t in Mar'21, as per data recorded with SteelMint.

However, on a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, import volumes in Apr'21 jumped four-fold as compared to a mere 2013 t Apr'20. Since China resumed recycled steel raw material imports from Jan'21, a total volume of 110,035 t has been imported till Apr'21, up from 5,379 t in Jan-Apr'20.

Imports from Japan rise sharply:Japan continued to be the largest scrap supplier to China in Apr'21 at 51,299 t, a jump of more than 150% m-o-m against 20,493 t in Mar'21. South Korea was the second largest importer, also up sharply m-o-m , whereas, imports from Hong Kong were recorded at 2,097 t in Apr'21, a drop of 4% m-o-m against 2,183 t in Mar'21.

Rise in China's imported scrap prices in Apr:Bids by Chinese steel mills for the most preferred Japanese HRS 101 grade rose in Apr'21. SteelMint's monthly average record for Japanese HRS 101 scrap are at $527/t, CFR China. Limited deals were concluded in Apr'21 owing to the Golden Week holidays.
However, in May'21, a huge disparity in bids and offers kept bookings limited. Strong domestic scrap demand in Japan on successive price hikes by Tokyo Steel and low buying interest contributed to lower bids for imported scrap.

Domestic scrap prices rise further in Mar'21:Shagang Steel increased its domestic scrap purchase prices for HMS 6-10 mm grade by a total RMB 3,390/t ($532/t) in Mar'21, slightly up by 3% from RMB 3,290/t ($517/t) in Feb'21. Hike in global scrap prices, along with improved semi-finished steel prices, supported the scrap purchase price hike.

Billet imports increase 22% in Apr'21: Steel billet imports by China rose 22% in Apr'21 to 750,547 t. Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Iran were the predominant suppliers for the month, according to data maintained with SteelMint. The rise in imports was due to increased supply from Vietnam and Indonesia. Imports from these countries witnessed a two to four-fold rise m-o-m. As China has slashed the import duty on non-ASEAN-origin billets, imports are expected to increase in May'21.

OutlookA further rise in scrap imports can be seen after the lifting of restrictions and continued restocking of scrap by Chinese mills.

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March 2021 crude steel production

22 April 2021 Brussels, Belgium

World crude steel production for the 64 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 169.2 million tonnes (Mt) in March 2021, a 15.2% increase compared to March 2020.

Production (Mt)Growth (% y-on-y)Crude steel productionWorldROWChinaWorld (%)ROW (%)China (%)Oct-19Nov-19Dec-19Jan-20Feb-20Mar-20Apr-20May-20Jun-20Jul-20Aug-20Sep-20Oct-20Nov-20Dec-20Jan-21Feb-21Mar-21050100150200-60-3003060worldsteel.orgAug-20●World :158 Mt

Crude steel production by region

Global crude steel production was 486.9 Mt in the first three months of 2021, up by 10.0% compared to the same period in 2020.

Asia and Oceania produced 356.9 Mt of crude steel in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 13.2% over the first quarter of 2020.

The EU (27) produced 37.8 Mt of crude steel in the first quarter of 2021, up by 3.1% compared to the same quarter of 2020.

North America’s crude steel production in the first three months of 2021 was 28.1 Mt, a decrease of 5.2% compared to the first quarter of 2020.

The CIS produced 26.2 Mt of crude steel in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 3.1% over the first quarter of 2020.

Table 1. Crude steel production by region
	Mar 2021 (Mt)	% change Mar 21/20		Jan-Mar 2021 (Mt)	% change Jan-Mar 21/20
Africa	1.5	25.9		3.9	3.4
Asia and Oceania	123.8	17.6		356.9	13.2
CIS	9.1	7.0		26.2	3.1
EU (27)	13.6	17.5		37.8	3.1
Europe, Other	4.4	10.5		12.6	8.3
Middle East	3.6	6.6		10.5	3.2
North America	9.7	0.1		28.1	-5.2
South America	3.6	8.1		10.9	7.1
Total 64 countries	169.2	15.2		486.9	10.0

The 64 countries included in this table accounted for approximately 98% of total world crude steel production in 2020. Regions and countries covered by the table:

• Africa:Egypt, Libya, South Africa
• Asia and Oceania:Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan (China), Vietnam
• CIS:Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
• European Union (27)
• Europe, Other:Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, United Kingdom
• Middle East:Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
• North America:Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, United States
• South America:Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Top 10 steel-producing countries

China produced 94.0 Mt in March 2021, up 19.1% on March 2020. India produced 10.0 Mt, up 23.9%. Japan produced 8.3 Mt, up 4.6%. The United States produced 7.1 Mt, up 1.0%. Russia is estimated to have produced 6.6 Mt, up 9.4%. South Korea produced 6.1 Mt, up 4.7%. Germany is estimated to have produced 3.6 Mt, up 10.4%. Turkey produced 3.4 Mt, up 9.2%. Brazil produced 2.8 Mt, up 4.1%. Iran is estimated to have produced 2.6 Mt, up 10.7%.

Table 2. Top 10 steel-producing countries
	Mar 2021 (Mt)		% change Mar 21/20		Jan-Mar 2021 (Mt)	% change Jan-Mar 21/20
China	94.0		19.1		271.0	15.6
India	10.0		23.9		29.6	10.4
Japan	8.3		4.6		23.7	-1.7
United States	7.1		1.0		20.4	-6.3
Russia	6.6	e	9.4		18.9	4.4
South Korea	6.1		4.7		17.6	3.8
Germany	3.6	e	10.4		10.0	1.7
Turkey	3.4		9.2		9.8	9.5
Brazil	2.8		4.1		8.7	6.2
Iran	2.6	e	10.7		7.5	10.7