March crude steel output 88.3 mln T vs 94.02 mln T year ago
Average daily output at 2.85 mln T, up 6 from JanFeb
Firstquarter steel output down 10.5 yy

BEIJING, April 18 Reuters China39;s crude steel output fell more than 6 in March from the same month a year earlier, data from the statistics bureau showed on Monday, as production at mills was crimped by COVID19 outbreaks and environmental restrictions.

The world39;s top steel producer made 88.3 million tonnes of the metal last month, down from 94.02 million tonnes in March 2021, said the National Bureau of Statistics NBS.

Average daily output in March stood at 2.85 million tonnes, according to Reuters calculation based on the NBS data. That was down from 3.03 million tonnes in the same month last year but up from 2.68 million tonnes in JanuaryFebruary.

Production curbs at northern steel mills that aimed to cut pollution and improve air quality during the winter heating season and Beijing Olympics were planned to end in midMarch, after being implemented for around half a year.

However, the recent COVID outbreaks in the country have put a dent in both steel production and consumption.

One of the biggest restraint on production is that the COVIDrelated restrictions hinder steel mills from replenishing raw materials, said Tang Binghua, an analyst with Founder CIFCO Futures in Beijing.

China39;s steel hub Tangshan city issued a temporary lockdown in late March after detecting several locally transmitted cases,…