The Largest Steel-Producing Countries: Visualized

Steel is a critical component of modern industry and economy, essential for the construction of buildings, automobiles, and many other appliances and infrastructure used in our daily lives.

This graphic uses data from the World Steel Association to visualize the world’s top steel-producing countries, and highlights China’s ascent to the top, as it now makes up more than half of the world’s steel production.

The State of Global Steel Production

Global steel production in 2022 reached 1,878 million tonnes, barely surpassing the pre-pandemic production of 1,875 million tonnes in 2019.

2022’s steel production marked a significant reduction compared to the post-pandemic rebound of 1,960 million tonnes in 2021, with a year-over-year decline of 4.2%–the largest drop since 2009, and prior to that, 1991.

This decline was spread across many of the world’s top steel producers, with only three of the top fifteen countries, India, Iran, and Indonesia, increasing their yearly production. Most of the other top steel-producing countries saw annual production declines of more than 5%, with Turkey, Italy, Taiwan, and Vietnam’s production all declining by double digits.

Even the world’s top steel-producing nation, China, experienced a modest 2% decline, which due to the country’s large production amounted to a decline of 19.8 million tonnes, more than many other nations produce in a year.

Despite India, the world’s second-largest steel producer, increasing its production by 5.3%, the country’s output still amounts to just over one-tenth of the steel produced by China.

China’s Meteoric Rise in Steel Production

Although China dominates the world’s steel production with more than a 54% share today, this hasn’t always been the case.

In 1967, the World Steel Association’s first recorded year of steel production figures, China only produced an estimated 14 million tonnes, making up barely 3% of global output. At that time, the U.S. and the USSR were competing as the world’s top steel producers at 115 and 102 million tonnes respectively, followed by Japan at 62 million tonnes.

Almost three decades later in 1996, China had successively overtaken Russia, the U.S., and Japan to become the top steel-producing nation with 101 million tonnes of steel produced that year.

The early 2000s marked a period of rapid growth for China, with consistent double-digit percentage increases in steel production each year.

The Recent Decline in China’s Steel Production

Since the early 2000s, China’s average annual growth in steel production has slowed to 3.4% over the last decade (2013-2022), a considerable decline compared to the previous decade’s (2003-2012) 15.2% average annual growth rate.

The past couple of years have seen China’s steel production decline, with 2021 and 2022 marking the first time the country’s production fell for two consecutive years in a row.

While it’s unlikely China will relinquish its position as the top steel-producing nation anytime soon, it remains to be seen whether this recent decline marks the beginning of a new trend or just a brief deviation from the country’s consistent production growth.

One Year of Sand, Gravel, and Stone Consumption in the U.S.

Aggregate minerals, which include raw materials such as sand, gravel, and stone, are the building blocks of our cities and an integral part of the U.S. economy.

From being used to make the concrete that shapes our buildings to being the foundation of our roads, aggregates are necessary to maintain our quality of life. But just how much do we rely on these raw materials each year?

To explore the answer, this visualization from our sponsor Burgex uses forecast data from Mineralocity Aggregates to show how much crushed stone, sand, and gravel the U.S. is expected to consume in 2023.

Crushed Stone

Crushed stone is a versatile material that has a variety of uses in road and building construction, landscaping, and other industries. It is typically made from various types of rock, such as limestone, dolomite, and granite, that have been broken down into different sizes.

According to projections by Minerolocity Aggregates, the U.S. will consume 1.73 billion U.S. tons of crushed stone in 2023.

Taking its 100 lb/ft³ density into account, that is equivalent to a cube 3,259 feet high. That’s nearly double the height of the One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the U.S., standing at 1,776 feet as an homage to the country’s Declaration of Independence.

It’s also worth considering per capita usage to grasp the magnitude of aggregates we depend on in our daily lives. In 2023, each American is projected to account for the consumption of approximately 5.2 tons of crushed stone.

While crushed stone production is prevalent across the United States, here are some states that sold the most of this aggregate mineral in 2021.

With 99% of all U.S. demand being met by domestic production in 2022, crushed stone is an integral part of the U.S. economy.

Sand and Gravel

Sand and gravel are essential natural resources that are widely used in construction and agriculture. They also have wide uses in industrial activities, such as glass manufacturing, foundries, and metal casting, as well as in recreational activities, such as volleyball courts, golf courses, and beaches.

In 2023, the U.S. is forecasted to consume 1.12 billion U.S. tons of sand and gravel. This is more than 3.3 tons per person. 

Here are the top producers of sand and gravel in the United States.

Aggregate minerals are the building blocks of our modern lives.

With over 7,000 commercial aggregate companies operating in the U.S. (while contributing $31 billion to the economy in 2022), their importance to our lives and the economy should not be underestimated.

Mineralocity Aggregates is the leading platform for generating actionable aggregate market intelligence. Click here to learn more about Mineralocity Aggregates.