Mining News - Majority of semi-finished steel exports came from billet and bloom, with a total of 2.32 million tons, up 46% YOY, and from slab shipments with 1.9 million tons, up 171% YOY.

As for finished steel products, exports lowered 35% to 940,000 tons during this period, with hot-rolled coil being the main exported product with 373,000 tons, dropping 60.1% YOY. Less than 3-mm HRC exports, however, increased drastically by 1,900% to 19,000 tons, while thicker materials remained down.

It was then followed by: rebar (358,000 tons), beams (113,000 tons), “other steel products” (46,000 tons), coated coil (43,000 tons) and cold-rolled coil (7,000 tons). Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, former minister, stated that the steel exports were expected to reach 8 million tons in the current fiscal year (ending March 20, 2018).