The World’s Largest Steel Manufacturers

The world manufacturers a lot of steel – in fact, on a global level we’re making more steel than ever before – but did you ever wonder where most of it comes from? So did we, so we did some fact checking to find the companies that make the most steel.

The data has been provided by the World Steel Association, the international trade body for the iron and steel industry including over 160 steel producers around Earth. Many of the following companies are part of the World Steel Association so this is a pretty comprehensive list.

The top five steel manufacturers

Topping the list is ArcelorMittal, a giant multinational corporation that has operations in over 60 countries but runs out of Luxemberg. While the company is only just over 10 years old, its origins trace back decades due to it being a merger of the Arcelor and Mittal Steel organisations. Together, these two behemoths have made a company that is responsible for 10% of the world’s steel supply. That’s a lot of steel, and most of theirs goes into vehicle and building manufacturing. Chances are the car you drive or the house you drive to have some ArcelorMettal steel in them.

China Baowu Steel Group comes in second, with a production of over 65 million tonnes of steel in 2017 alone. This gargantuan company hails from Shanghai and recently merged with Wuhan Iron and Steel Group from Hubei, China. Together, they make silicon products, cold-and-hot-rolled products, profile products, and more.

Third on the list is the Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation, another conglomeration of two previously large steel manufacturers (Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal) who teamed up to dominate the local and international market. Its reach extends far beyond its home of Japan, with 15 countries hosting a NSSMC satellite office. Together, they employ over 83,000 people worldwide as they produce steel that us used in railways, civil engineering and energy industries, among other concerns.

Another contender on the list also headquartered in China is the Hebei Iron and Steel Group Company Limited. Over 30 million tonnes of steel come out of their collective foundries each year, which is mainly used to make pipes, wire rods and galvanised plates. We thought we had a wide range of plates in our facility, but that’s something else entirely.

Baosteel is another Chinese steel manufacturer on the list, and one that boasts a history extending all the way back to 1978. That’s a long time in this fast-paced industry. Over 130 thousand employees work for Baosteel, and they export out stainless steel, carbon steel and other specialised steel products to over 40 countries. The products are used in everything from household appliances to astronautics and nuclear power. That’s certainly a diverse lineup.

The list of the biggest steel manufacturers continues with other mills operating out of South Korea, India, the United States, Russia and Brazil among many others. No matter where it comes from the team at ShapeCUT can cut, bend and reshape metal any way imaginable. Contact ShapeCUT today to find out more.

Images: BusinessInsider, Wikimedia