Coal & Steel Statistics
Steel Production
Global steel production is dependent on coal – around 68% of total global steel production relies directly on inputs of coal. 592Mt of coking coal and Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI) coals are used in global steel production, which is 12% of total hard coal consumption worldwide.
Crude Steel Production
| 2008 | 1327Mt | 2004 | 1069Mt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1351Mt | 2003 | 970Mt |
| 2006 | 1251Mt | 2002 | 904Mt |
| 2005 | 1147Mt | 2001 | 850Mt |
World steel production decreased by 1.8% in 2008
Top Ten Steel Producers (2008)
| PR China | 501Mt | South Korea | 54Mt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 119Mt | Germany | 46Mt |
| USA | 91Mt | Ukraine | 37Mt |
| Russia | 69Mt | Brazil | 34Mt |
| India | 55Mt | Italy | 31Mt |
Steel production in China increased by 1.1% between 2007 and 2008. China accounted for 37.8% of global steel production in 2008.
Processes
Currently 66% of global steel is produced in Basic Oxygen Furnaces (BOF). Coking coal is converted to coke, which is then used in the blast furnace to smelt iron ore. The resulting molten iron is then taken to the BOF, where steel scrap and limestone are added. A stream of high purity oxygen is blown through the molten bath to remove impurities, leaving almost pure liquid steel. About 0.6 tonnes of coke are required to produce 1 tonne of steel.
A further 31% of steel is produced in Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF); much of the electricity used in this process is generated from coal-fired power stations.
Steel Use
There has been a 7% increase in steel use worldwide between 2006 and 2007, with China experiencing an increase of 13% for the same period – see Steel Use graph.
Top Users of Steel (2008)
| PR China | 426Mt | USA | 98Mt | Japan | 77Mt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 59Mt | India | 53Mt | Russia | 35Mt |
Per Capita Use of Steel (2008)
Per capita use of steel varies significantly around the world (kg per capita):
| South Korea | 1210kg | USA | 316kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Taipei | 718kg | Brazil | 124kg |
| Italy | 582kg | India | 44kg |
| Germany | 502kg | ||
| Spain | 441kg | World | 190kg |
Metallurgical/Coking Coal Trade
Total world coking coal trade increased by 10.9% to 247.2Mt in 2007. Coking coal trade represents 27% of global hard coal trade.
Top Coking Coal Exporters (2008)
| Australia | 137Mt | USA | 39Mt | Indonesia | 30Mt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 27Mt | Russia | 16Mt | PR China | 5Mt |
Major Coking Coal Importers (2008)
| Japan | 57Mt | Germany | 9Mt |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 28Mt | France | 7Mt |
| South Korea | 24Mt | United Kingdom | 6Mt |
| PR China | 10Mt | Chinese Tapei | 6Mt |
Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI)
A technology for injecting coal directly into the blast furnaces. One tonne of PCI coal used for steel production displaces about 1.4 tonnes of coking coal. Coals used for pulverised coal injection into blast furnaces have more narrowly defined qualities than steam coal used in electricity generation.
PCI Coals Used in Blast Furnaces
| 2004 | 24Mt | 2001 | 24Mt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 25Mt | 2000 | 23Mt |
| 2002 | 24Mt | 1995 | 17Mt |
Major Consumers of PCI Coals (2004)
| Japan | 6Mt | India | 3Mt |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 5Mt | France | 2Mt |
| Germany | 3Mt | USA | 2Mt |
Steel Recycling
Steel is 100% recyclable, with some450Mt of recycled steel consumed in 2004. The BOF process uses up to 30% recycled steel (scrap) and around 90-100% is used in EAF production.
Sources: IEA & World Steel Association
(Mt - million tonnes / e - estimated)
