Russian Nine-Month Steel Output Surpasses U.S., Ministry Says

Russia surpassed the U.S. to become the world’s third-largest steel producer in the first nine months of the year, said Viktor Semenov, a department head at the Industry and Trade Ministry in Moscow.

Russian produced 41.7 million metric tons of steel in the period, versus 40 million for the U.S., Semenov said today at a conference in the Russian capital organized by Metal Supply & Sales magazine.

Domestic steel demand is recovering, though in a “slow and unsteady” way, Semenov said. Russian steel use probably won’t reach pre-crisis levels until at least 2012, he said.