Crude steel production in the Middle East declined by 27.6pct YoY to 3.7 mln tons in April 2026 amid continued disruptions linked to regional tensions, according to data from the World Steel Association. As a result, regional crude steel production during the January-April period fell by 12.8pct YoY to 16 mln tons.
The Middle East region includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen.
Iran, the region’s largest steel producer, remained outside the global top 10 steel-producing countries following disruptions linked to the conflict. Several major Iranian steel plants were affected by air strikes in late March, resulting in production stoppages. In addition, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz from late February disrupted regional trade flows, while operational issues at key GCC ports further strained supply chains and increased freight costs for raw material imports.
In Africa, crude steel production increased by 11.5pct YoY to 2.1 mln tons in April, while output during the January-April period rose by 8.7pct to 8.4 mln tons. Production was reported from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Turkey, the world’s seventh-largest steel producer, recorded crude steel output of 3.3 mln tons in April, up by 9.4pct YoY. During the January-April period, Turkish crude steel production increased by 6.3pct to 13 mln tons.
Globally, crude steel production by the 69 countries reporting to World Steel Association declined by 1.9pct YoY to 153.4 mln tons in April, while output during the first four months of 2026 fell by 2pct to 613.3 mln tons.
China’s crude steel production declined by 2.8pct YoY to 83.6 mln tons in April, with January-April output down 4.1pct to 331.1 mln tons.
India produced 13.8 mln tons of crude steel in April, up by 3.9pct YoY, while production during the January-April period increased by 9.4pct to 58.7 mln tons.
In the United States, crude steel production rose by 9.4pct YoY to 7.2 mln tons in April, while January-April output increased by 6.6pct to 28.1 mln tons.