Global crude steel production down 1.0% YoY in February 2023 2023-03-24

Mar. 24, 2023 - World crude steel production for the 63 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 142.4 million tonnes (Mt) in February 2023, a 1.0% decrease compared to February 2022. Crude steel production by region Africa produced 1.1 Mt in February 2023, down 11.9% on February 2022. Asia and Oceania produced 106.6 Mt, up 3.0%. The EU (27) produced …

S. Korean cement supply fails to meet high demand in peak season 2023-03-16

Mar. 15, 2023 - Concerns are growing in the construction and ready-mixed concrete industries that supply of cement may fall short in the peak season in March. According to multiple industry sources on Tuesday, Korea’s leading cement maker SsangYong C&E Co. has started to control shipments as demand has become higher than the production this month. The company is the latest to join 6 o…

GCCA launches second Innovandi Open Challenge 2023-03-16

Mar. 15, 2023 - The Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) held an online launch for its second Innovandi Open Challenge on 14 March 2023. The global challenge matches start-up companies with some of the world’s leading cement and concrete manufacturers, which operate in almost every country across the world, to work on initiatives to cut emissions and pioneer environmental change…

Cement sales in Brazil drop 7% in February 2023-03-15

Mar. 14, 2023 - Brazil’s cement association, SNIC, reported that cement sales in the domestic market declined by 7.2 per cent YoY to 4.42Mt in February 2023 from 4.763Mt. SNIC attributes the contraction to Brazil’s economic scenario with high household debt, high interest rates and inflation as well as above-average rainfall. Consumer confidence showed a second-consecutive month’s drop. …

Italy’s cement output sees 9% MoM drop in December 2022 2023-03-14

Mar. 13, 2023 - Italian cement production fell by 29 per cent MoM and nine per cent YoY in December 2022, according to the country’s construction chamber, Federbeton. When compared with the 2015 base index production the value declined from 85 in November to 70 in December. Cement prices in December 2022 slipped MoM to 210 when compared with the base year of 2015 (=100). Federbeton report…

China’s output of black silicon carbide climbs for consecutive 3 years 2023-03-06

Mar. 6, 2023 - Data shows in 2022, China’s output of black silicon carbide totals at around 0.99 million tons, up 10% YoY. Output of black silicon carbide in Gansu was around 0.55 million tons, with an increase of 70 thousand tons compared with 2021 and up 14.58% YoY. Output of black silicon carbide in Ningxia was around 0.3 million tons, with an increase of 10 thousand tons by compari…

Global alumina production falls in Jan YoY 2023-03-04

Mar. 4, 2023 - According to statistics released by the International Aluminum Institute (IAI), global alumina production totaled around 11.65 million tons in January this year, sliding by 0.42% compared to the preceding month and by 1.09% from the year-ago level. Among them, China’s alumina production reached 6.7 million tons, a slight month-on-month increase of 0.3% and a year-on-year hi…

Arabian Cement posts 12% rise in profits in 2022 2023-03-01

Feb. 28, 2023 - Saudi-Arabia-based Arabian Cement has reported net profits after zakat and tax of SAR181m (US$48.3m) in 2022, representing a YoY increase of 12.1 per cent from SAR161.5m. The company saw a six per cent decline in revenues to SAR970.9m in 2022, up from SAR1.03bn in 2021. Earnings per share grew to SAR1.81 from SAR1.62 in 2021.

Taiwan Cement fined for price fixing 2023-03-01

Feb. 22, 2023 - Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC) is one of 18 firms fined a combined TWD213m (US$7m) for forming a ready-mixed concrete (RMC) price-fixing cartel, accord to Taipei Times. Since 2018 the companies have regularly met in person and messaged via apps to control the supply of RMC and drive up prices, reports the Fair Trade Commission. TCC faces an individual fine of TWD50m but has said …

South Korea to cut dependence on China for key minerals 2023-02-28

Feb. 27, 2023 - The government hopes to cut dependency on China in critical minerals, from the current 80 percent level to 50 percent by 2030. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Monday announced a strategy to secure a stable supply of critical minerals, such as lithium, nickel and rare earth materials, amid rising geopolitical uncertainty and U.S.-China rivalry reshaping…

Global alumina production slightly rises in 2022 2023-02-27

Feb. 27, 2023 - According to statistics released by the International Aluminum Institute (IAI), global alumina production amounted to around 139 million tons in 2022, slightly rising by 0.31% compared to the previous year. Among them, China’s production accounted for the largest proportion, with an output of nearly 78.7 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 4.57%. In December alone, g…

China's output of refractories' downstream industries in 2022 2023-02-27

Feb. 27, 2023 - In 2022, the added value of China's industrial enterprises above designated size organically increased by 3.6% year-on-year. However, the triple pressure of demand contraction, supply shock, and weakening expectations is still relatively large. The turbulent external environment and the impact of the epidemic have a significant impact on the smooth operation of the indust…

China's refractories output declines in 2022 2023-02-27

Feb. 27, 2023 - During the three years of Covid-19 pandemic, China's refractories production continued to decline slightly. In 2022, the output of China's refractories was 23.109 million tons, a decrease of 3.82% year on year.   The three main refractories production hubs in China include Henan Province, Liaoning Province, and Shandong Province. Among them, in 2022, the refractories…

Refractories demand in the glass industry to pick up 2023-02-25

Feb. 25, 2023 - Affected by the epidemic in 2022, Chinese refractory companies experienced fierce competition. Manufacturers of refractories for glass kilns were facing the pressure of rising raw material and energy costs on the one hand, and on the other hand, industry demand and market transactions were decreasing. Relevant statistics show that the output of flat glass inc…

China Imports of Refractory Materials and Products in Dec 2022 2023-02-25

Feb. 25, 2023 - According to the statistics from China Customs, China's imports of flake graphite, silica sand, aluminium ores, and chromite in Dec 2022 increased remarkably by 34.33%, 20.96%, 16.3% and 4.16% respectively compared with the corresponding period of 2021, while imports of Andalusite, kyanite & sillimanite, zircon sand, and alumina decreased by 2…