Global steel output up 5.9 pct y-o-y in June-IISI

(adds link to output table)

FRANKFURT, July 18 (Reuters) - Global crude steel production rose 5.9 percent in June to 118.8 million tonnes versus last year's figure for the 66 countries reporting to the International Iron and Steel Institute, the association said on Friday.

But output slid 1.0 percent compared with May's figure of 120.0 million tonnes as growth in China failed to compensate for a sharp 6.3 percent drop in the United States and a smaller one in the European Union.

Since the steel industry is primarily cyclical and not seasonal in nature, analysts often focus on month-on-month swings to track demand rather than comparing it with the market's condition 12 months earlier.

In the first half of this year, crude steel production rose 5.7 percent to 696 million tonnes.

To see the full table click here%20and%20production%20figures.pdf (Reporting by Christiaan Hetzner; Editing by David Cowell)