Global pig iron production fell by 6% y/y in January

Global pig iron production in January 2026 decreased by 6% compared to the same month in 2025, to 110.78 million tons. Compared to the previous month, the figure increased by 2.8%. This is evidenced by data from the World Steel Association (WorldSteel), according to Ukrmetallurgprom.

Using the direct reduction method, 10.24 million tons were produced during the month, and using the blast furnace method, 100.54 million tons were produced.

The largest pig iron producing countries in January were:

• China – 65.92 million tons (-10.9% y/y);
• Japan – 10.34 million tons (+103.8% y/y);
• India – 8.47 million tons (-35% y/y);
• Russia – 4.95 million tons (-4.3% y/y);
• South Korea – 3.97 million tons (+4.6% y/y).

Ukraine ranks 14th among 40 countries producing pig iron – 550 thousand tons (+6.1% y/y).

As reported by GMK Center, in 2025, global pig iron production decreased by 1.7% compared to 2024, to 1.368 billion tons. Using the direct reduction method, 129.2 million tons were produced during the year, and using the blast furnace method, 1.239 billion tons were produced. The largest pig iron producing countries in 2025 are: 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).