Financial Tribune - With 17.22 million tons of output, Mobarakeh Steel Company had the largest share of steel production in Iran in the last fiscal year that ended on March 19, 2020.

The company produced 8.09 million tons of finished steel during the year, posting a 2% rise compared with last year's corresponding period.

In addition, 9.12 million tons of semi-finished products were produced by MSC, up 1% year-on-year, the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization�s latest report shows.

Located in southwestern Isfahan, MSC is the biggest steel producer in Iran and the Middle East and North Africa region.

In terms of finished steel production, MSC was followed by Esfahan Steel Company (ESCO) with 2.3 million tons (up 6% YOY), Oxin Steel Company with 776,002 tons (up 28% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 612,522 tons (up 8% YOY), Azarbaijan Steel Company with 367,163 tons (up 2% YOY), IASCO with 311,036 tons�276,740 tons of rebar (up 15% YOY) and 34,296 tons of �other products� (up 213% YOY), Bonab Steel Company with 224,650 tons�906 tons of beams, 222,103 tons of rebar (up 289% YOY) and 1,641 tons of �other products� (down 54% YOY), Ahvaz Rolling and Pipe Manufacturing Company with 245,000 tons (down 21% YOY), Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Automotive Sheet Company with 234,733 tons (up 6% YOY) and INSIG with 200,802 tons�140,203 tons of rebar (up 99% YOY), 50,779 tons of beams (up 152% YOY) and 9,820 tons of pipes (up 35% YOY).

Following MSC in semis production was KSC with 3.68 million tons (down 3% YOY), followed by ESCO with 2.41 million tons (up 7% YOY), South Kaveh Steel Company with 1.15 million tons (up 14% YOY), Khorasan Steel Company with 1.16 million tons (up 12% YOY), Chadormalu Steel Company with 1.02 million tons (up 16% YOY), Arfa Iron and Steel Company with 865,307 tons (up 1% YOY), Iran Alloy Steel Company with 491,283 tons (up 18% YOY), Bonab Steel Company with 268,755 tons (up 965%) and INSIG with 19,398 tons.

The above-mentioned steelmakers, considered heavyweight producers in Iran, produced 33.6 million tons of steel (semis and finished) during the 12 months to March 19, 2020.

A total of 13.37 million tons of finished steel products, including hot- and cold-rolled coils, rebar, beams, pipes, wide and galvanized sheets were produced by these steel mills during the period to register 6% YOY growth.

Their production of finished steel products stood at 1.07 million tons in the 12th month (Feb. 20-March 19), posting a 2% rise year-on-year.

They produced a total of 20.22 million tons of semi-finished steel, including ingot, bloom and billet (semi-finished products) during the 12 months, up 5% year-on-year.

As for semis output during the 10th Iranian month ending March 19, a total of 1.65 million tons of slab, bloom, billet and ingot were produced to register an 11% increase YOY.

The World Steel Association's latest report shows Iran's global standing in steel production has declined from the previous eighth to become the world's ninth biggest crude steel producer.

Iranian steel mills sold over 254.35 trillion rials ($1.6 billion) worth of steel products during the last fiscal year.

According to Reza Shahrestani, a member of the Board of Directors of Iran Steel Producers Association, sales volume shows a 93% rise compared to the year before.

The Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade launched five steel projects with a total investment of 21.39 trillion rials ($133 million) during the 11 months to Feb. 19.

Two of the projects became operational in Isfahan Province while the rest went on stream in the provinces of Lorestan, Fars and Khuzestan, IRNA reported citing the Industries Ministry's data.

The new projects were related to production of pipes and profiles, steel sheets, direct-reduced iron and steel ingots, which created close to 1,000 n