Crude steel production in Allied European countries 1900-1945, by country
Of the major Allied powers in the early 20th century, the United Kingdom was the largest producer of steel until the 1920s, before French output rose after the First World War following the transfer of Alsace-Lorraine and occupation of German territories, and then the Soviet Union's steel production rose significantly in the 1930s. Trends in steel production heavily follow those of iron production, and steel was instrumental for the industrialization and war effort of each respective country. When output from the Allied countries is compared with Axis countries in this period, Germany was the largest steel producer in Europe by a large margin and had the highest steel output in almost every year.