Iron and steel trade

International audienceMore than for any other industrial products, the production and the distribution of iron and steel took place against the regional and then worldwide background of material, financial and political constraints. Of crucial importance was the intervention of the states, the international political context with rearmament moments and wars, various economic crises, the exporting capacity of producing countries, the emergence of new national competitors and ongoing technological innovations and the growth of replacement products. After the Second World War, this trade fell under the liberalization movement of world trade until the crisis of the 1970s. Since then, there have been important tensions and crises on the world iron and steel market