In April this year, Italian crude steel output decreased by 11.6 percent year on year to 2.115 million metric tons, according to the figures released by the Italian steel producers association Federacciai. April is the 13th month in a row in which a year-on-year fall in output has been witnessed and the seventh month in a row in which the percentage decrease has been in double digits.

The year-on-year decline in output slowed in April compared to the 18.5 percent decrease posted by Federacciai in March. The contraction in Italian crude steel output on year-on-year basis started in April 2012 with a 3.9 percent fall compared to the same month in 2011.

In the January-April period of the current year, total Italian crude steel output amounted to 8.274 million mt, down more than 1.55 million mt or 15.8 percent compared to the same period of 2012.