North American steel production declines significantly

The monthly steel production statistics by region for November 2019 published by the World Steel Association (Worldsteel) indicate a marked reduction in steel production in North America.

North American steel production in November 2020 was 8.497 Mt (Mt), 10.8% less than a year earlier. Steel production in the region in November last year amounted to 9,527 million tons.

The US continued to be the largest producer in the region. Smelting in the United States decreased by 13.7% year on year from 7.088 million tons to 6.120 million tons. Mexico came in second with a total monthly production of 1.450 million tonnes. Smelting in Mexico increased slightly by 1.7% over the production of 1.426 million tons in November 1919. In Canada, the third largest producer in the region, production was down 7.2% year on year. Monthly production fell sharply from 954,000 tons to 885,000 tons per year.

Cumulative North American steel production for the first eleven months of this year was recorded at a significantly lower level than the same period in 2019. Cumulative production in the region was 91.581 million tonnes, compared to 109.882 million tonnes recorded in January-November 2019. ... All countries in the region experienced declines in steel production during this period, with Guatemala recording the highest annualized decline of 26.6%.