The International Chromium Development Association (ICDA) has released the chrome and ferrochrome productions numbers for 2014.
Following the all-time high production rates of 2013, 2014 was a year filled with mixed fortunes for the chrome and ferrochrome industry. The global chrome ore output went down to 29 MT in 2014 due to production cuts in major chrome-producing countries. India was plagued with a mining license renewal issue that left most of its mines inactive for months. Meanwhile, South Africa’s UG2 output was hindered by a five-month strike of the local platinum industry.
The global ferrochrome production however reached 11.8 MT, a new record high in 2014. China remained on top with around 4.2 MT of ferrochrome produced, though production pace slowed towards the end of the year. Meanwhile, South Africa has been slowly catching up as investments in added capacity boosted the output to nearly 4 MT.