Iran Among the World's Largest Direct Reduced Iron Producers

The World Steel Association ranked Iran as the world's second largest non-blast direct iron producer in the first two months of 2014.

The latest data released by the World Steel Association showed that Iran produced a total of 1,867,000 tonnes of iron, indicating strong growth in January and February this year. This makes it the world's second largest DRI producer in the DRI rankings over a 2-month period. At the top of the list is India, with a production of 2,496,000 tonnes in the corresponding period.

The association also represented 14 countries, including Iran, which accounted for approximately 87 percent of total global DRI production in 2013. Direct reduction of iron, called spongy iron, is performed from iron ore materials that are relatively clean from harmful impurities. And it is produced in the form of granules or pellets. This is achieved by a method in which iron is produced by acting on the ore with a gaseous or solid reducing agent.