Primary Steel Industry Overview

South Africa is the 27th largest crude steel producing country in the world in 2022 according to data by the World Steel Association (worldsteel). South Africa also produced approximately 35% of the total crude steel production of the African continent during 2022.

Total South African crude steel production as reported by the members of SAISI amounted to five* million tonnes in 2022, a decrease of 10,5%, compared with 6,328 million tonnes produced during 2018. This represents about 0,3% of world production which reached 1 869 million tonnes in 2019 according to the World Steel Association – Worldsteel.

According to data released by the South African Revenue Service, imports of primary carbon and alloy steel products (excluding semis, stainless steel and drawn wire) during the twelve months of 2019 amount to amount to 894 088 tonnes, an increase of 14,0% compared with 784 206 tonnes of primary carbon and alloy steel products imported during the corresponding period of 2018.

The range of primary carbon steel products and semi-finished products manufactured in South Africa includes billets, blooms, slabs, forgings, light-, medium- and heavy sections and bars, reinforcing bar, railway track material, wire rod, seamless tubes, plates, hot- and cold-rolled coils and sheets, electrolytic galvanised coils and sheets, tinplate and pre-painted coils and sheets.

The range of primary stainless-steel products and semi-finished products manufactured in South Africa includes slabs, plates and hot- and cold-rolled coils and sheets.

According to data released by the South African Revenue Service, a volume of 0,525 million tonnes of ferrous scrap the steel industry exported and 0,131 million tonnes the steel industry imported during 2019.