Crude Steel
The basic, unrefined form of steel measured directly out of a blast furnace or electric arc furnace, before being rolled or finished into products such as rebar, plate or coil; the standard unit the World Steel Association uses to rank national and company-level production.
Covered in 10 MetalsCost.com News Intelligence articles, most recently on October 15, 2026.
Overview
Crude steel is the standard, apples-to-apples unit the steel industry uses to measure output: metal in its first solid form straight out of casting, before it's been rolled, forged or finished into rebar, plate, coil or any other shape. It's what the World Steel Association tallies every month from roughly 70 reporting countries to produce the national and company rankings the industry treats as its benchmark, precisely because measuring finished products would double-count metal that passes through multiple downstream forms.
Global Production
World crude steel output reached 1,849.4 million tonnes in 2025. China alone produced 960.8 Mt, 52% of the global total — more than the next twelve producing countries combined — while India held its position as the world's second-largest producer at 164.9 Mt, 8.9% of world output, ahead of the United States (81.9 Mt) and Japan (80.7 Mt). Crude steel is made via one of two main routes: the basic oxygen furnace, which converts molten iron from a blast furnace, or the electric arc furnace, which melts scrap steel or direct reduced iron using electricity.
Sources
- 2025 global and national crude steel production totals — 2025 Steel Rankings Highlight China's Dominance Amid Rising India, U.S. Output (2026)
Coverage
Jindal Ferrous Starts Its ₹5,000 Crore Carbon Steel Plant in Odisha's Jajpur
Jindal Ferrous has commissioned its first integrated carbon steel plant at Jajpur in Odisha, a ₹5,000 crore project with a 2.2 million-tonne-a-year melt shop. It will supply carbon steel mainly to northern and eastern India.
India's Draft Steel Policy Sets a 604 Million-Tonne Goal and Needs 772 Mt of Iron Ore
India's draft National Steel Policy Vision 2047 aims for 604 million tonnes of crude steel capacity, nearly three times today's level. Feeding it would need 772 million tonnes of iron ore a year, while each tonne of steel would emit about 40% less carbon.
Tata Steel's India Output Rises 10% to 6.21 Million Tonnes in the September Quarter
Tata Steel produced 6.21 million tonnes of crude steel in India in the July-September quarter, 10% more than a year earlier. Deliveries rose 7%, helped by record retail sales and a 19% jump in steel for carmakers.
JSW Steel Lifts Q2 Crude Steel Output 10% to 7.27 Million Tonnes as Vijayanagar Recovers
JSW Steel produced 7.27 million tonnes of crude steel in the July-September quarter, up 10% from the previous quarter and 5% from a year earlier. A blast furnace returning from an upgrade at Vijayanagar drove most of the rebound.
Shyam Metalics Plans a ₹50,000 Crore, 9 Million-Tonne Steel Complex in Maharashtra
Shyam Metalics and Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maharashtra government to build a 9 million-tonne-a-year integrated steel complex at Chandrapur. Its proposed ₹50,000 crore investment is about 2.7 times its FY26 revenue and expected to create about 30,000 jobs.
India's Steel Demand Grows 7.5% in the First Half, Outpacing Its Own Output
India's finished steel consumption rose 7.5% to 84.9 million tonnes in April-September, Ministry of Steel data show. Output grew more slowly, leaving India a net importer of finished steel for the half.
EU Steel Exports Fall 20% in the First Half as Europe's Mills Run Near Record Lows
European Union steel exports to the rest of the world fell 20% in the first half of 2026, steelmakers' association EUROFER says. Production remains near record lows, and EU steel demand is now forecast to grow just 0.1% this year.
US Unveils a 'Milwaukee Framework' to Push Allies Into Joint Action on Excess Steel
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says a new 'Milwaukee Framework' will push countries to coordinate their defences against excess steel capacity. Global capacity exceeded demand by 640 million tonnes last year, and China's exports hit a record.
India's New Steel Policy Aims for 600 Million Tonnes of Capacity by 2047
India will release a draft steel policy within a week that targets more than 600 million tonnes of annual capacity by 2047, almost three times today's level. Feeding those mills will need far more iron ore and coking coal.
China Still Makes Half the World's Steel, But 2025 Output Fell Below 1 Billion Tonnes
China produced 960.8 million tonnes of crude steel in 2025 — its first sub-billion-tonne year since 2019 — while still supplying over half the world's output, as India's production kept growing.
