Wed Feb 2, 2011 5:37am EST
* 2010 production touches record at 32.2 million tonnes
* Chinese production up 7 percent in 2010
LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Stainless steel production islikely to grow by 7 percent in 2011 after touching a record in2010, according to stainless and special steel consulting firmSteel & Metals Market Research (SMR).
Global stainless steel production touched a record high at32.2 million tonnes in 2010, with nickel-rich 300 gradesaccounting for 57.5 percent of that, according to theconsultancy.
"The stainless steel industry has left the crisis behind, atleast from a global perspective," SMR said on Wednesday.
"There is a discrepancy between SMR figures and the officialfigures released by the International Stainless Steel Forum(ISSF), because our figures include production in thenon-organised sector in India and China," SMR Managing DirectorMarkus Moll said, explaining that companies that are not membersdo not report their data to the forum.
The non-organised sector in India and private producers inChina performed better than previously forecast, according toSMR.
Stainless steel production was up 7 percent at 11.8 milliontonnes in China and up 12 percent at 2.9 million tonnes in Indiain 2010, compared with the previous year.
Production also rebounded strongly in the industrialisedcountries, Moll said.