According to the data from the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF), global stainless steel output hit a record in 2018. The annual production of global melting plants was increased by about 5.5% to 50.7 million tons, although China slowed its production at the end of last year. 
The production of Brazil, Russia, South Africa and Indonesia has grown significantly. In the fourth quarter of 2018, global stainless steel production fell from 12.6 million tons in 2017 to 11.8 million tons. 
In addition, Chinese output in the fourth quarter totaled around 6.2 million tons, which was also lower than the 6.7 million tons in the same period of 2017. In 2018, Chinese stainless steel production accounted for 53% of the global total.