Steel production in Spain decreased by 21% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 to 2.59 million metric tons, according to data released on May 21 by the Unesco industry association.
The data showed that production was the lowest since 2020, as production has declined since the beginning of the year due to the shutdown of the blast furnace at the country's largest production site in Gijon.
According to Unesco, steel production in Spain reached 967,000 tons in March 2026, down 19% from the same period last year and marking the eighth consecutive monthly decline.
The data showed that the total volume for 12 months decreased by 9% year-on-year to 11.1 million tons, which is the lowest base volume since November 2023.
Spain is the fourth largest steel producer in Europe, behind Germany, Italy and France, with a maximum output of about 23 million tons of steel per year.
According to Unesco, the volume of scrap metal processing in Spain in the first quarter amounted to 2.25 million tons, which is 13% less than in the same period last year.
Scrap production accounted for 87% of total production in the first quarter, which is the highest figure in the history of observations, according to the data.
However, the data showed that total scrap production in March decreased by 18% year-on-year to 800,000 tons, reversing the positive trend since April 2024.
By Gianluca Baratti
