Demand for world steel was likely to rebound this year, growing by 13.1 percent after a contraction last year , and should hit a record high next year, the World Steel Association said yesterday.
 
The association cited better-than-expected forecasts in Europe, the US and the former Soviet Union.
After shrinking 6.6 percent last year, steel use should rise to 1.272 billion tonnes in 2010, exceeding the 2007 total of 1.222 billion tonnes.