According to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization’s latest report, Mobarakeh Steel Company and its subsidiary Saba Steel had the largest share of production with 2.36 million tons (up 2% YOY).

MSC was followed by Esfahan Steel Company (ESCO) with 776,253 tons (up 7% YOY), Oxin Steel Company with 294,174 tons (up 24% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 217,041 tons (up 18% YOY), Azarbaijan Steel Company with 116,629 tons (up 35% YOY), IASCO with 95,984 tons—91,421 tons of rebar (up 32% YOY) and 4,563 tons of other products (up 46% YOY) and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Automotive Sheet Company with 83,952 tons (up 23% YOY).

Other major producers of finished steel included Bonab Steel Company with 82,502 tons—906 tons of beams, 80,269 tons of rebar (up 41% YOY) and 1,327 tons of other products (down 63% YOY), Ahvaz Rolling and Pipe Manufacturing Company with 65,000 tons (up 79% YOY) and INSIG with 35,805 tons—26,007 tons of rebar, 6,016 tons of beam, and 3,782 tons of pipes (up 44% YOY), according to Financial Tribune.

Production of finished steel products stood at 1.01 million tons in the month to register a 19% growth YOY.

A total of 6.86 million tons of ingot, bloom and billet were produced in Iran during the four months under review, up 4% year-on-year. 

MSC with its subsidiaries Saba and Hormozgan Steel was the biggest producer with 3.1 million tons (down 2% YOY). 

KSC came next with 1.3 million tons (up 2% YOY), followed by ESCO with 819,107 tons (up 9% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 389,998 tons (up 13% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 361,018 tons (up 15% YOY), Chadormalu Steel Company with 345,043 tons (up 22% YOY), Arfa Iron and Steel Company with 298,733 tons (up 10% YOY), Iran Alloy Steel Company with 166,122 tons (up 29% YOY) and Bonab Steel Company with 74,808 tons (up 196%).

As for output during the month ending July 22, a total of 1.64 million tons of slab, bloom, billet and ingot were produced to register a 9% growth YOY.

Upstream Production

A total of 32 million tons of iron ore products were produced in Iran during the four months ending July 22.

Iron ore concentrate output stood at 15.9 million tons to register a 3% growth compared with the corresponding period of the year before.

Golgohar Mining and Industrial Complex accounted for 5.5 million tons of the total output (down 1% YOY), followed by Chadormalu Mining and Industrial Complex with 3.39 million tons (up 14% YOY), Middle East Mines and Mining Industries Development Holding Company with 1.72 million tons (unchanged YOY), Iran Central Iron Ore Company with 1.71 million tons (down 7% YOY), Goharzamin Iron Ore Company with 1.45 million tons (down 1% YOY), Opal Parsian Sangan with 982,317 tons (up 6% YOY), National Development Industrial and Mineral Company with 682,487 tons (up 92% YOY), Sabanour Mining and Industrial Development Company with 277,091 tons (down 34% YOY) and Jalalabad Iron Ore Complex with 171,711 tons (down 21% YOY).

Iron ore concentrate output during the period amounted to 3.69 million tons–unchanged compared with last year’s same month.

The production of iron ore in the form of fines/lumps totaled 1.66 million tons during the four-month period, going down 37% YOY. Production in the fourth month stood at 457,222 tons to register a 40% decline YOY.

Pellet output hit 14.4 million tons during the four months, down 1% YOY. 

Golgohar was the largest producer with 4.15 million tons (down 3% YOY), followed by Mobarakeh Steel Company with 2.49 million tons (down 3% YOY), Khouzestan Steel Company with 2.15 million (down 6% YOY), MIDHCO with 2.04 million tons (up 22% YOY), Chadormalu with 1.36 million tons (up 13% YOY) and Opal Parsian Sangan with 1.21 million tons (down 13% YOY).

Other major iron ore producers included Sangan Mineral and Industrial Company with 493,739 tons (down 44% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 382,989 tons (up 70% YOY) and Sabanour Mining and Industrial Development Company with 144,901 tons (up 57% YOY).

Pellet production witnessed a 4% year-on-year decrease during the fourth month to 3.41 million tons.

The production of direct-reduced iron, also called sponge iron, stood at 9.23 million tons during the four-month period, up 12% YOY. 

Mobarakeh accounted for the largest share of the output with 2.56 million tons (up 7% YOY), followed by KSC with 1.38 million tons (up 10% YOY), Hormozgan Steel Company with 536,509 tons (down 11% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 490,293 tons (up 2% YOY), Chadormalu Steel Company with 476,694 tons, Khorasan Steel Company with 467,580 million tons (up 14% YOY), Saba Steel Complex with 352,540 tons (up 1% YOY), MIDHCO with 271,023 tons (down 10% YOY), Sefiddasht Steel Company with 270,096 tons (up 50% YOY) and Arfa Steel Company with 262,051 tons (down 12% YOY).

Other major sponge iron producers included Ghadir Iron and Steel Company with 252,639 tons (down 8% YOY), Neyriz Steel Complex with 230,669 tons (down 2% YOY), Sabzevar Steel Company with 229,267 tons (down 5% YOY), Shadegan Steel Complex with 186,462 tons (down 21% YOY), Mianeh Steel Complex with 157,143 tons (down 37% YOY), Saba Steel with 119,538 tons and Esfahan Steel Company with 50,711 tons (up 11% YOY).

DRI production reached 2.13 million tons during the month ending July 22, indicating an 8% growth YOY.

Iran was the second biggest producer in the world after India during the first half of 2019, with 14.17 million tons of DRI production to register a 15.2% year-on-year growth, according to World Steel Association.