Global crude steel production was almost flat in July, but the country-wise numbers show a very different picture. Some of the major steel-producing countries increased output, while China's decline pulled the overall global number into negative territory.
Total crude steel production across 70 reporting countries stood at 149.2 million tonnes in July 2026, down a marginal 0.3% year-on-year. For the first seven months of the year, global output reached 1.081 billion tonnes, also down 0.6% compared with the same period last year. The headline number may suggest a stable global market, but there is clearly no single trend running across the industry right now.
China's lower output made the difference
China produced 76.9 million tonnes of crude steel in July, down 3.6% year-on-year. That decline was enough to offset production increases in several other major steel-producing countries. China remains by far the largest contributor to global steel output, accounting for more than half of the production covered in the monthly data. So even a relatively modest percentage decline in Chinese output has a significant impact on the global total.
For January-July, China's crude steel production stood at 577 million tonnes, down 3.1% year-on-year. This continued weakness in Chinese output is one of the main reasons global production has remained below last year's levels despite growth elsewhere. Asia and Oceania as a region produced 109.4 million tonnes in July, down 1.2% from a year earlier.
India continues to move in the opposite direction
India once again remained one of the stronger performers among major steel-producing countries. Crude steel production reached 14.4 million tonnes in July, up 1.9% year-on-year. More importantly, production during January-July reached 101.1 million tonnes, showing growth of 6.1% over the same period last year.
India's growth has been fairly consistent compared with many other major producing regions. Domestic infrastructure spending, construction and industrial demand continue to support steel consumption, while new capacity additions are also gradually increasing the country's production base.
The gap between India and China is still enormous in terms of absolute volumes. But the direction of growth is worth noting. China is producing less than last year, while India continues to add volume.
Production was stronger in several other markets
The US produced 7.4 million tonnes in July, up 4.4% year-on-year. South Korea recorded a stronger increase of 6.4%, producing 5.7 million tonnes.
Türkiye also continued to show healthy growth. Its July crude steel production increased 7% to 3.4 million tonnes, while production during the first seven months of the year was up 7.9%.
Germany's output was estimated at 2.8 million tonnes, up 3%, while Japan produced 6.9 million tonnes, marginally higher by 0.4%.
Vietnam was another notable performer, with July production rising 34.7% year-on-year to 2.7 million tonnes. Its January-July output was up 28%, although this growth needs to be seen against a smaller production base compared with the world's larger steel producers.
Regional numbers show an uneven recovery
Outside Asia, several regions recorded better production numbers.
EU-27 crude steel output increased 3.8% year-on-year to 10.5 million tonnes in July. North American production rose 4.9% to 9.6 million tonnes, while output in other European countries increased 5.8%.
Africa recorded a 6.1% increase, while South American production was up 2.8%.
The Middle East was the clear exception. Regional crude steel production fell 13.4% year-on-year to 3.8 million tonnes in July. For the January-July period, Middle Eastern output was down 8.1%.
So while the global number was down only marginally, regional performance was anything but uniform.
The bigger picture is still mixed
July's 0.3% decline does not point to a major collapse in global steel production. But it does show that the industry is still operating in a mixed demand environment.
China's production cuts are affecting the global total, while India, the US, Türkiye and parts of Europe are recording growth. The result is a global market where production is shifting rather than moving in one clear direction.
The January-July data makes that even more visible. Global crude steel output is down 0.6%, China's production is down 3.1%, but India's is up 6.1%.
For the steel industry, that may be the more important takeaway from the latest numbers. Global production is broadly stable, but the geography of steel growth is changing. China is no longer driving incremental production the way it once did, while countries such as India are steadily adding to their share of global output.