Middle East steel production decline eases in August

Middle East crude steel production declined 4.6 pct YoY to 3.7 mln tons in August 2026, according to World Steel Association data, with the pace of decline easing from 13.4 pct in July. During the January-August period, regional output fell 7.8 pct YoY to 33.3 mln tons.

The Middle East region includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen.

The region’s steel production continued to face disruptions from geopolitical tensions and logistics constraints, although the August decline was significantly narrower than in July. Shipping disruptions affecting regional trade flows, including the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea routes, continued to create uncertainty and increase transportation costs.

Iran, the region’s largest steel producer, remained outside the global top 10 steel-producing countries in August. Continued production and export disruptions, alongside logistical constraints, continued to weigh on regional steel activity.

In Africa, crude steel production increased 8.8 pct YoY to 2.1 mln tons in August, while January-August output rose 9.4 pct to 16.7 mln tons.

Turkey, the world’s seventh-largest steel producer, recorded crude steel output of 3.4 mln tons in August, down 0.4 pct YoY. During January-August, Turkish production increased 6.8 pct to 26.6 mln tons.

Globally, crude steel production by the 70 countries reporting to the World Steel Association declined 1.2 pct YoY to 144.2 mln tons in August. During January-August, global output fell 0.7 pct to 1.22 bln  tons.

China’s crude steel production declined 3.7 pct YoY to 74.6 mln tons in August, while January-August output fell 3.1 pct to 651.9 mln tons.

India produced 14.8 mln tons of crude steel in August, up 4.6 pct YoY, while January-August production increased 6.0 pct to 115.9 mln tons.

In the United States, crude steel production rose 3.0 pct YoY to 7.3 mln tons in August, while January-August output increased 5.5 pct to 57.5 mln tons.