According to Alexander Stepanov, technical director of Severstal, the audit covered 40 company units, including all management departments. It studied the entire range of products, including coke, cast iron, slabs, hot and cold rolled sheets and strips, section steel, fittings and wire rods, galvanized sheet, electric arc steel, formed section steel and pipes.

David Sharp, the head of the inspection group of Lloyd's Register of Shipping, stated that, "The company meets ISO 9001:2000 standards. We don't have any criticisms to make. This is the result of thorough inner audits conducted several times a year by the company itself."

The quality management system of the steel mill was recertified to ISO 9002:94 in February 2000. The 2000 version has some major differences. It's of a more global character and evaluates not just the quality of the product itself but the quality of the management process and overall systems approach to management. Severstal will receive the ISO 9001:2000 in the beginning of 2003.