2. Key figures

World steel production for all products combined was around 800 million tonnes in 2002, making steel by far the world's leading metal consumer.

This position is attributable in particular to :

• the abundance of iron ore in the earth's crust;

• the efficiency of manufacturing and shaping processes;

• high levels of steel performance in a wide range of industrial applications (mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, etc.);

• the multiplicity of shades and formats available;

• a high and steadily rising recycling rate for end-of-life products (facilitated by ferromagnetic sorting), actively contributing to environmental protection.

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