Stainless steel production in third quarter 2009 bucked the seasonal trend by increasing on Q2 output in every region of the world, with global production more than 17% higher than in the second quarter.

Usually world production in Q3 falls below that of the second quarter, with the mature European and North American markets particularly prone to a softening of activity.

Crude steel output in this year’s Q3 was also up more than 12% against the corresponding quarter of 2008, provisional figures from the International Stainless Steel Forum indicate.

But within this overall picture there are some differences, Steel Business Briefing notes. Western European third quarter production was down 8% year-on-year, while that in the Americas increased. And while Asian output (excluding China) remained level, Chinese stainless quarterly production surged by more than 50% y-o-y (see table).