General Statement.
—The world’s chief iron- and steel-producing countries are, in the order of their importance: United States, Germany, Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Belgium. The annual pig-iron production of these countries ranged in 1913 from 2,300,000 tons in Belgium to 30,900,000 tons in the United States. The normal consumption of iron ore by these countries in the last years preceding the war and their recent maximum annual production are given below:
Table 21.—Maximum Annual Output and Normal Consumption of Iron Ore by Chief Iron- and Steel-Making Countries
| Countries | Consumption (long tons) | Production (long tons) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 62,000,000 | 75,288,851 |
| Germany | 40,600,000 | [48]33,987,112 |
| Great Britain | 19,000,000 | 15,997,328 |
| France | 12,300,000 | 21,572,835 |
| Russia | 8,900,000 | 9,362,746 |
| Belgium | 6,800,000 | 164,734 |
| Austria-Hungary | 5,200,000 | 5,233,055 |
[48] Includes production of Luxemburg.
The consumption figures represent metallic iron consumed in terms of iron ore and are obtained on the basis of production and imports of iron ore, and imports of pig iron and crude iron and steel products. Exports of iron ore, pig iron, and crude iron and steel products are not considered as forming part of the countries’ consumption.
A comparison of the consumption and production indicates that the United States, France, Russia and Austria-Hungary were self-supporting as far as raw materials for their iron and steel industry were concerned. Great Britain and Germany are dependent for a small percentage of their requirements upon foreign countries. Belgium produces a very small percentage of her consumption of iron ore, being almost entirely dependent upon foreign sources, mainly France and Germany, for her iron-ore requirements.
In several countries that produce much iron ore the iron and steel industry is still in its infancy. The iron ore from these countries is nearly all exported to the large iron and steel making countries. The following table shows the recent maximum annual production and normal annual consumption in some of these:
Table 22.—Maximum Annual Output and Normal Consumption of Iron Ore in Several Countries
| Countries | Consumption (long tons) | Production (long tons) |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 1,000,000 | 9,705,963 |
| Sweden | 700,000 | 6,878,318 |
| Cuba | ... | 1,585,431 |
| Newfoundland | ... | 1,433,858 |
| North Africa | ... | 1,349,000 |