Exclusive Global pig iron production fell by 1.2% y/y in January–February

China saw a 2.7% y/y decline

Global pig iron production for January–February 2026 fell by 1.2% compared to the same period in 2025, to 222.75 million tons. This is evidenced by data from the World Steel Association (WorldSteel), according to the Ukrmetallurgprom State Enterprise.

Using the direct reduction method, 19.09 million tons were produced over the two months, and 203.66 million tons were produced using the blast furnace method.

In February, total production rose by 4% compared to February 2025 and by 1.1% from the previous month, reaching 112 million tons. Blast furnace production amounted to 103,100 tons (+4.1% y/y; +2.6% m/m), while direct reduction production was 8.9 million tons (+2.7% y/y; -13.6% m/m).

The largest pig iron-producing countries based on January-February results are:

• China – 137.7 million tons (-2.7% y/y);
• India – 26.45 million tons (+6.1% y/y);
• Russia – 9.63 million tons (-3% y/y);
• Japan – 9.53 million tons (-1.5% y/y);
• South Korea – 7.35 million tons (+2.5% y/y).

Ukraine ranks 15th among 40 countries producing pig iron, with 1.01 million tons (-11.2% y/y).

As reported by GMK Center, global pig iron production in 2025 fell by 1.7% compared to 2024, to 1.368 billion tons. Direct reduction accounted for 129.2 million tons, while blast furnace production totaled 1.239 billion tons. The largest pig iron-producing countries in 2025 were: China – 836.04 million tons (-3% y/y), India – 154.43 million tons (+6.7% y/y), Japan – 58.45 million tons (-4.2% y/y).