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Steel

 

The OECD Steel Committee provides a unique forum for governments to come together to address the evolving challenges facing the steel industry, and identify political solutions to encourage open and transparent markets for steel. By fostering a global environment in which steel producers compete under fair conditions, the OECD contributes to a more viable and sustainable steel industry, so that steel continues to contribute to improved economic prosperity around the world.


The work of the OECD Steel Committee covers areas such as:

    • steel market developments
       
    • steel capacity and global excess capacity, given its growing magnitude and the impacts it is having on the industry’s economic viability. Governments are interested in learning the causes of excess capacity, particularly the role of government interventions in creating or sustaining excess capacity, as well as policies aimed at easing the situation.
       
    • environmental performance, and particularly the contribution of energy efficiency technologies as well as developments in breakthrough technologies to address climate change.
       
    • trade policies, including non-tariff measures and export restrictions on raw materials.
       
    • industry viability and competitiveness.
       
    • steelmaking raw material markets, which are receiving increasing attention by governments and industry alike given the sector depends heavily on a range of raw materials for its production.

 

Latest events

Data and resources

Progress on reducing global steel excess capacity has slowed. Rapid growth in new steelmaking capacity is occurring amidst uncertain steel demand prospects, heightening the risks of oversupply, price and profitability weakness, trade disturbances, and increasing steel trade policy actions. Adjustment to long-term challenges, such as need to reduce the carbon intensity of steel, requires stable market conditions so that firms can make sound long-term investments and begin the process of adjustment. At the same time, government support to enable faster steel decarbonisation, economic development or other societal goals should avoid distorting competition by exacerbating excess capacity. Indeed, how the steel industry and governments adapt to these long-term trends is likely to affect the extent and nature of excess capacity going forward.

On 15 March 2023, the OECD hosted an open discussion with governments, steel industry associations, experts and other stakeholders to exchange views on the changing nature and extent of excess capacity. Issues explored included whether the nature of excess capacity and the policy responses to address this are still the same, whether there are new sources of excess capacity in addition to market-distorting government interventions, and the implications of steel decarbonisation on how the steel community views excess capacity. To kick off the discussions, three essays were prepared:

The views expressed in these essays reflect the views of the authors, not necessarily the view of the OECD or its members.

 

OECD Steel Committee meetings

 

More steel data and resources

For questions, please contact [email protected].

 

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