Over 12.7m tons of long steel products produced in a year
econews. Based on the ISIPA data, 12.378 million tons of slab was produced in 1404, while the figure was 11.233 million tons in 1403.
In the steel industry, a slab is a semi-finished flat product with a rectangular cross-section, typically produced via continuous casting. Molten steel is solidified into widths ranging from 0.8 to 2.2 meters and thicknesses of 150–250 millimeters.
Slabs serve as the essential feedstock for hot strip mills and plate mills. They are reheated and rolled into finished flat products such as hot-rolled coil, sheet, and heavy plates—key materials for automotive body panels, shipbuilding, pipelines, and construction. Quality control of slabs, including surface inspection and internal soundness, is critical as defects can propagate into final goods. Efficient slab handling and storage also optimize downstream production logistics.