Statistics and facts on the global steel industry
by Isabel Wagner
Steel is an alloy which is typically made by combining iron, carbon, manganese and other elements, including
base metals such as nickel and copper. The ferrous metal plays an essential role in infrastructure development and building construction, as well as in car manufacturing and shipbuilding. Furthermore, steel is one of the most widely recycled materials worldwide. About 1.5 billion metric tons of
crude steel was produced globally in 2011. That year, worldwide consumption of
steel scrap came to around 570 million metric tons.
With 2011 revenue of around 94 billion U.S. dollars, Luxembourg-based steel maker
ArcelorMittal is currently the world’s largest steel producing company. U.S.-based companies
Nucor and
U.S. Steel were ranked ninth and tenth respectively in 2011.
Photo: istockphoto.com / 3dfoto