TEHRAN- Iran exported over 4.937 million tons of steel during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-November 21), which was 22 percent more than the figure of the same period of time in the past year.

Khouzestan Steel Company posted the best performance through exporting 1.117 million tons of steel in the eight-month period, followed by Mobarakeh Steel Company and Esfahan Steel Company by exporting 814,724 tons and 766,630 tons, respectively.

Rebar produced by Khorasan Steel Company registered the highest export rise in the mentioned period, as 1,081 tons of the product was exported.

According to the Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA), Iranian exports of steel during the previous Iranian calendar year declined 13.1 percent compared to the figure for the preceding year.

Based on the association’s data, the country exported nine million tons of steel in the previous year.

Over 2.839 million tons of steel products were also exported in the mentioned year, registering an 18-percent decline year on year.

The Iranian Steel industry has been constantly developing over the past years against all the pressures and obstacles created by outside forces like the U.S. sanctions and the coronavirus outbreak that has severely affected the performance of the world’s top producers.

The country is expected to climb to seventh place among the world’s top steel producers by the Iranian calendar year 1404 (March 2025).

The production capacity of the country's steel chain increased from 123 million tons in the Iranian calendar year 1392 (ended in March 2014) to 230 million tons in the previous year (ended on March 20).

Based on the latest report released by the World Steel Association (WSA), Iran has maintained its place as the world’s 10th biggest steel producer during January-October, 2021.

Production of crude steel in Iran reached 22.4 million tons during the mentioned time span to register a 5.7-percent decline year on year, the report said.

MA/MA