Iranian exports of semi-finished and finished steel products rose 23% on-year to 3.23 million tonnes in the ten months through 20 January, according to the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organisation (Imidro).

Semis exports drove the increase, surging 67% on-year in the ten months to 1.36mt, while finished product shipments abroad rose 4% to 1.87mt. Last July Iran set a 4mt target for exports this Iranian year (see Kallanish 7 July 2015). It is on course to reach this, as long as shipments in each of the last two months remain above 400,000t.

Imidro chairman Mehdi Karbasian said last month producers require further incentives to export since Iranian warehouse steel stocks amounted to around 3mt because of the recession at home.

The country’s main exporters are hot and cold rolled coil producer Mobarakeh Steel, billet producer Khouzestan Steel and bar and sections producer Esfahan Steel.

Steel imports, meanwhile, declined -3% on-year in the ten months to 3.38mt. Ten-month Iranian crude steel production fell -5% to 14mt, while finished product output declined -7% to 13.05mt. Iranian year-to-date crude steel output thus returned to its declining trend after registering in the nine months through 21 December its first increase since April.

Ten-month apparent consumption of crude steel and finished products combined was down -8.7% on-year to 27.21mt.

Mostafa Moazzenzadeh, advisor to Iran's First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri Kouhshahi, said last week China is the main culprit behind the global steel supply/demand imbalance (see Kallanish 19 February). Slowing Iranian construction demand and lack of state support for the steel industry are hurting Iran’s steelmakers, he added.