BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. Iran's raw steel exports increased by 25.6 percent in the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21 through September 22, 2023), compared to the same period last year, Trend reports.
In 6 months, Iran exported 3.69 million tons of raw steel as stated in the data of the Iranian Steel Producers Association (ISPA).
Meanwhile, in the same period last Iranian year, the figure was around 2.94 million tons.
So, Iran exported 2.59 million tons of billet and bloom within six months, showing an 18.2 percent growth year-on-year (compared to 2.19 million tons in the previous year).
Also, Iran exported about 1.1 million tons of slabs for 6 months, representing a 47.6 percent increase from the same period last year (when the figure was 744,000 tons).
Moreover, Iran exported 1.54 million tons of steel products in the half of a year, , reflecting an 8 percent increase compared to the corresponding period last year (1.42 million tons).
In addition, 874,000 tons of sponge iron were exported from Iran in 6 months, indicating a remarkable 180 percent increase compared to the same period last year (when the figure was 312,000 tons).
Along with all these, about 3.37 million tons of iron ore concentrate were exported from the country during six months, represents a staggering 625 percent increase from the same period last year (when the export was 465,000 tons).
Reportedly, Iran's annual steel production capacity is around 40 million tons. Iran plans to increase the figure to 55 million tons by 2025.
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