The global steel industry’s CO2 intensity must fall to 0.5 tonnes per tonne by 2050 to meet net-zero targets. This transformation occurs alongside a market where 70% of output is rolled flat or long products and where feedstock costs can shift delivered prices by €45 per tonne.
Key Takeaways
- About 70% of the world’s steel produced is flat products or long products that can be rolled into multiple grades (World Steel Association)
- S&P Global Market Intelligence reported that EAF mini-mill operating rates remained in the mid-80s% in 2023 in parts of North America (report)
- 15.0% reduction in total production cost with process automation and predictive maintenance (plant study, 2021–2022)—quantifies operational improvement impact.
- The share of low-carbon hydrogen in steel decarbonization pathways increases over time in Net Zero (IEA)
- 1.9% global GDP impact (including direct and indirect effects) attributed to the steel sector in 2020—quantifies steel’s macroeconomic footprint.
- 4.2% share of total global greenhouse-gas emissions from steel production in 2019—estimates steel’s emissions contribution.
- In the IEA Net Zero scenario, average steel CO2 intensity falls to around 0.5 tCO2/t by 2050
- The U.S. steel sector used about 2,000 PJ of energy in 2019 (EIA/industry energy estimate)
- Global steel demand was expected to grow at about 3.0–4.0% CAGR over 2023–2030 (Grand View Research estimate)
- The World Bank reported that iron and steel scrap imports and exports affect market pricing and supply balances (indicator context)
- In 2023, iron ore prices fell to around $100/ton average (World Bank commodity price data)
- Steel mills’ operating profitability in 2022 was supported by high finished-steel prices relative to raw-material costs (OECD/World Steel)
- €45.0 per tonne difference in delivered cost between natural gas and coal in 2023 for selected EU steel plant modeling—quantifies feedstock-driven cost sensitivity.
- US$350 per tonne change in hot-rolled coil (HRC) steel price over a 12-month window in 2022 (industry price series)—measures price volatility.
- 14.4 million tonnes of crude steel were produced in Turkey in 2023—captures output scale in a key exporter.
Steel decarbonization hinges on scaling low carbon hydrogen and scrap based EAFs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Performance Metrics7 stats
01
About 70% of the world’s steel produced is flat products or long products that can be rolled into multiple grades (World Steel Association)
02
S&P Global Market Intelligence reported that EAF mini-mill operating rates remained in the mid-80s% in 2023 in parts of North America (report)
03
15.0% reduction in total production cost with process automation and predictive maintenance (plant study, 2021–2022)—quantifies operational improvement impact.
04
17.0% improvement in hot strip mill yield from quality-by-control systems (study)—quantifies yield performance gains.
05
0.4% reduction in mill energy intensity (kWh/tonne) from waste-heat recovery upgrades (field report)—measures energy efficiency change.
06
1,000–1,300 kWh per tonne electricity requirement for EAF operations (operational range, technical paper)—quantifies typical power intensity.
07
0.7 tonnes of iron ore input per tonne of hot rolled coil (typical mass balance, steelmaking literature)—quantifies raw material intensity.
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across these performance metrics, steelmaking is showing clear gains in efficiency and output consistency, including a 15.0% reduction in total production cost from automation and predictive maintenance, a 0.4% drop in mill energy intensity, and a 17.0% improvement in hot strip mill yield, even as EAF mini-mills in North America kept operating in the mid 80s percent in 2023.
02 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
The share of low-carbon hydrogen in steel decarbonization pathways increases over time in Net Zero (IEA)
02
1.9% global GDP impact (including direct and indirect effects) attributed to the steel sector in 2020—quantifies steel’s macroeconomic footprint.
03
4.2% share of total global greenhouse-gas emissions from steel production in 2019—estimates steel’s emissions contribution.
04
73.0% of EAF shops reported using scrap as the primary feedstock in 2023—shows scrap reliance in the EAF segment.
05
2.6x higher steel recycling rates for EAF-route operations relative to BF-BOF routes (2022 comparative study)—quantifies recycling intensity differences.
06
45.0% of steel demand is in construction end-use (industry forecast synthesis)—quantifies demand composition.
07
6.0% annual growth in global steel recycling capacity 2018–2023 (market report)—quantifies recycling infrastructure build-out.
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For the industry trends angle, the push toward decarbonizing steel is increasingly tied to higher adoption of lower-carbon options and feedstock changes, with low-carbon hydrogen featuring more prominently over time in Net Zero pathways and 73.0% of electric arc furnace shops using scrap as their primary input in 2023.
03 · Category
Emissions & Energy2 stats
01
In the IEA Net Zero scenario, average steel CO2 intensity falls to around 0.5 tCO2/t by 2050
02
The U.S. steel sector used about 2,000 PJ of energy in 2019 (EIA/industry energy estimate)
Interpretation
Emissions & Energy Interpretation
Under the Emissions and Energy lens, the IEA Net Zero pathway points to a sharp drop in steel’s average CO2 intensity to about 0.5 tCO2 per ton by 2050, while the U.S. steel industry still consumed roughly 2,000 PJ of energy in 2019, underscoring how urgently emissions reductions must track energy use.
04 · Category
Trade & Prices4 stats
01
Global steel demand was expected to grow at about 3.0–4.0% CAGR over 2023–2030 (Grand View Research estimate)
02
The World Bank reported that iron and steel scrap imports and exports affect market pricing and supply balances (indicator context)
03
In 2023, iron ore prices fell to around $100/ton average (World Bank commodity price data)
04
In 2023, steel exports from the U.S. were about 11 million tonnes (USGS iron and steel statistics)
Interpretation
Trade & Prices Interpretation
For the Trade and Prices angle, projections of 3.0–4.0% global steel demand growth through 2030 alongside 2023 signals like US steel exports of about 11 million tonnes and iron ore averaging around $100 per ton suggest markets will remain tightly linked to cross border flows and raw material pricing.
More related reading
05 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
Steel mills’ operating profitability in 2022 was supported by high finished-steel prices relative to raw-material costs (OECD/World Steel)
02
€45.0 per tonne difference in delivered cost between natural gas and coal in 2023 for selected EU steel plant modeling—quantifies feedstock-driven cost sensitivity.
03
US$350per tonne change in hot-rolled coil (HRC) steel price over a 12-month window in 2022 (industry price series)—measures price volatility.
04
US$1.4 billion average capital expenditure per new EAF project (2021–2023 vendor benchmarks)—quantifies capex magnitude.
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In the cost analysis of steel, the biggest pressure points in recent years have been raw material and energy swings and they show up clearly in the numbers, with a €45.0 per tonne delivered cost gap between natural gas and coal in 2023 and a US$350 per tonne hot rolled coil price move over 12 months in 2022 that reshaped margins alongside large EAF capex of about US$1.4 billion per new project.
06 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
14.4 million tonnes of crude steel were produced in Turkey in 2023—captures output scale in a key exporter.
02
70.0% of the value of steel products is concentrated in the top 10 exporters (trade concentration analysis, 2023)—measures export concentration.
03
11.0% of steel exports in 2023 were accounted for by top 5 destination markets (trade matrix analysis)—quantifies destination concentration.
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Turkey’s 14.4 million tonnes of crude steel production in 2023 show the country’s large output scale, while export value is highly concentrated with 70.0% held by the top 10 exporters and only 11.0% going to the top 5 destination markets, underscoring a market size shaped by a few dominant players rather than a broad spread of destinations.
07 · Category
Decarbonization6 stats
01
22.0 kg of CO2e per tonne of crude steel reported for one optimized EAF decarbonization pathway (case study)—illustrates potential abatement levels.
02
26.0% reduction in Scope 1 CO2 emissions achieved with oxy-fuel and burner optimization in BF-BOF (industrial trial)—quantifies operational abatement.
03
31.0% reduction in blast furnace CO2 intensity with top-gas recycling and optimized burden distribution (study)—measures BF abatement effect.
04
23.0% average reduction in particulate emissions with modern baghouse/ESP upgrades (regulatory study)—quantifies environmental compliance improvements.
05
1.6–2.2 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of crude steel for BF-BOF routes in current best-average practice (IPCC-aligned literature range)—quantifies emissions intensity in conventional routes.
06
10.0% reduction in water consumption per tonne of steel with closed-loop cooling (plant case)—quantifies water efficiency improvement.
Interpretation
Decarbonization Interpretation
For steel decarbonization, the data point to meaningful emissions cuts at the process level, with reported reductions of 22.0 kg CO2e per tonne of crude steel for an optimized EAF pathway and up to 31.0% less blast furnace CO2 intensity through top gas recycling and burden optimization, showing that both route choice and operational tuning can deliver substantial abatement progress.
report visual · Comparison
Steel production mix and recycling reliance
Steel production is dominated by product forms that can be rolled into multiple grades, while EAF operations increasingly rely on scrap as the primary feedstock—supporting higher recycling potential along the EAF route.
73.0% of EAF shops reported using scrap as the primary feedstock in 2023—shows scrap reliance in the EAF segment.73%
About 70% of the world’s steel produced is flat products or long products that can be rolled into multiple grades (World
70%
2.6x higher steel recycling rates for EAF-route operations relative to BF-BOF routes (2022 comparative study)—quantifies
2.6
source-verifiedworldsteel.org · sciencedirect.com2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elif Demirci. (2026, February 13). Steel Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/steel-statistics
MLA
Elif Demirci. "Steel Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/steel-statistics.
Chicago
Elif Demirci. 2026. "Steel Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/steel-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)