General Steel (GSIH) 10-Q 15 May 14 2014 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_And_Entity_Informatio

Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	9-May-14
Document Information [Line Items]	'	'
Entity Registrant Name	'GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS INC	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001239188	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Smaller Reporting Company	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	58,314,688
Trading Symbol	'GSI	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Document Period End Date	31-Mar-14	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q1	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2014	'

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
ASSETS	'	'
Cash	$36,378	$31,967
Restricted cash	428,615	399,333
Notes receivable	81,998	60,054
Restricted notes receivable	261,220	395,589
Loans receivable - related parties	4,540	4,540
Accounts receivable, net	4,388	4,078
Accounts receivable - related parties	4,474	2,942
Other receivables, net	54,078	54,716
Other receivables - related parties	57,854	54,106
Inventories	210,761	212,921
Advances on inventory purchase	44,338	44,897
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	120,426	83,003
Prepaid expense and other	1,890	1,388
Prepaid taxes	23,238	28,407
Short-term investment	2,597	2,783
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS	1,336,795	1,380,724
PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, net	1,269,199	1,271,907
OTHER ASSETS:	'	'
Advances on equipment purchase	54,690	6,409
Investment in unconsolidated entities	16,635	16,943
Long-term deferred expense	606	668
Intangible assets, net of accumulated amortization	23,587	23,707
TOTAL OTHER ASSETS	95,518	47,727
TOTAL ASSETS	2,701,512	2,700,358
LIABILITIES AND DEFICIENCY	'	'
Short term notes payable	963,357	1,017,830
Accounts payable	513,397	434,979
Accounts payable - related parties	282,540	235,692
Short term loans - bank	230,118	301,917
Short term loans - others	48,695	62,067
Short term loans - related parties	105,080	126,693
Current maturities of long-term loans - related party	57,428	53,013
Other payables and accrued liabilities	60,795	45,653
Other payable - related parties	80,694	94,079
Customer deposits	107,002	87,860
Customer deposits - related parties	145,366	64,881
Deposit due to sales representatives	23,713	24,343
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties	1,980	1,997
Taxes payable	7,276	4,628
Deferred lease income, current	2,168	2,187
Capital lease obligations, current	4,774	4,321
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES	2,634,383	2,562,140
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES:	'	'
Long-term loans - related party	14,607	19,644
Deferred lease income, noncurrent	74,072	75,257
Capital lease obligations, noncurrent	376,025	375,019
Profit sharing liability	160,956	162,295
TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES	625,660	632,215
TOTAL LIABILITIES	3,260,043	3,194,355
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES	'	'
DEFICIENCY:	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized, 3,092,899 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013	3	3
Common stock, $0.001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, 58,314,688 and 58,234,688 shares issued, 55,842,382 and 55,762,382 shares outstanding as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively	58	58
Treasury stock, at cost, 2,472,306 shares as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013	-4,199	-4,199
Paid-in-capital	107,028	106,878
Statutory reserves	6,387	6,243
Accumulated deficits	-458,362	-414,798
Accumulated other comprehensive income	3,593	729
TOTAL GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC. DEFICIENCY	-345,492	-305,086
NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS	-213,039	-188,911
TOTAL DEFICIENCY	-558,531	-493,997
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND DEFICIENCY	$2,701,512	$2,700,358

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_BALANCE1

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS [Parenthetical] (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Preferred Stock, par or stated value (in dollars per share)	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	3,092,899	3,092,899
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	3,092,899	3,092,899
Common Stock, par or stated value (in dollars per share)	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	200,000,000	200,000,000
Common stock, shares, issued	58,314,688	58,234,688
Common stock, shares, outstanding	55,842,382	55,762,382
Treasury stock, shares	2,472,306	2,472,306

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
SALES	$512,005	$502,431
SALES - RELATED PARTIES	82,206	148,860
TOTAL SALES	594,211	651,291
COST OF GOODS SOLD	530,744	498,626
COST OF GOODS SOLD - RELATED PARTIES	86,028	148,598
TOTAL COST OF GOODS SOLD	616,772	647,224
GROSS (LOSS) PROFIT	-22,561	4,067
SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES	-21,053	-18,955
CHANGE IN FAIR VALUE OF PROFIT SHARING LIABILITY	-49	46,779
(LOSS) INCOME FROM OPERATIONS	-43,663	31,891
OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)	'	'
Interest income	3,192	2,439
Finance/interest expense	-28,695	-24,857
Gain on disposal of equipment and intangible assets	46	331
Income from equity investments	13	-42
Foreign currency transaction (loss) gain	-854	28
Lease income	546	532
Other non-operating (expense) income, net	-176	269
Other expense, net	-25,928	-21,300
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES AND NONCONTROLLING INTEREST	-69,591	10,591
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES	'	'
Current	5	71
Deferred	0	0
Provision for income taxes	5	71
NET (LOSS) INCOME	-69,596	10,520
Less: Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest	-26,032	7,417
NET (LOSS) INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC.	-43,564	3,103
NET (LOSS) INCOME	-69,596	10,520
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS	'	'
Foreign currency translation adjustments	4,670	-2,526
COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME	-64,926	7,994
Less: Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest	-24,226	6,455
COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC.	($40,700)	$1,539
WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF SHARES	'	'
Basic and Diluted (in shares)	55,813	54,805
(LOSS) INCOME PER SHARE	'	'
Basic and Diluted (in dollars per share)	($0.78)	$0.06

CONDENSED_CONSOLIDATED_STATEME1

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:	'	'
Net (loss) income	($69,596)	$10,520
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by (used in) operating activities:	'	'
Depreciation, amortization and depletion	24,346	21,358
Change in fair value of derivative liabilities	0	-1
Gain on disposal of equipment and intangible assets	-46	-331
Provision for doubtful accounts	-251	-42
Reservation of mine maintenance fee	242	45
Stock issued for services and compensation	150	245
Amortization of deferred financing cost on capital lease	5,086	5,095
(Income) loss from equity investments	-13	42
Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss	854	-28
Deferred lease income	-546	-532
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability	49	-46,779
Changes in operating assets and liabilities	'	'
Notes receivable	-70,354	27,752
Accounts receivable	-102	-9,426
Accounts receivable - related parties	-1,569	6,808
Other receivables	355	-2,826
Other receivables - related parties	-4,219	-20,212
Inventories	-730	-37,526
Advances on inventory purchases	176	22,786
Advances on inventory purchases - related parties	-38,419	-46,883
Prepaid expense and other	-516	-1,039
Long-term deferred expense	56	260
Prepaid taxes	4,963	1,049
Accounts payable	59,351	57,648
Accounts payable - related parties	16,986	39,661
Other payables and accrued liabilities	15,300	1,887
Other payables - related parties	-12,676	8,789
Customer deposits	20,043	-21,956
Customer deposits - related parties	113,895	-9,457
Taxes payable	2,708	-4,427
Other noncurrent liabilities	0	1,370
Net cash provided by operating activities	65,523	3,850
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:	'	'
Restricted cash	-32,943	54,991
Cash proceeds from short term investment	164	0
Cash proceeds from sales of equipments and intangible assets	24	4
Equipment purchase and intangible assets	-56,861	-24,093
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-89,616	30,902
CASH FLOWS FINANCING ACTIVITIES:	'	'
Restricted notes receivable	131,971	99,224
Borrowings on short term notes payable	439,342	289,548
Payments on short term notes payable	-485,455	-493,064
Borrowings on short term loans - bank	95,120	32,563
Payments on short term loans - bank	-165,711	-63,315
Borrowings on short term loan - others	9,853	21,296
Payments on short term loans - others	-14,426	-21,432
Borrowings on short term loan - related parties	24,528	142,999
Payments on short term loans - related parties	-5,849	-30,430
Deposits due to sales representatives	-425	6,411
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties	0	526
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	28,948	-15,674
EFFECTS OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGE IN CASH	-444	254
INCREASE IN CASH	4,411	19,332
CASH, beginning of period	31,967	46,467
CASH, end of period	$36,378	$65,799

Organization_and_Operations

Organization and Operations	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Organization And Operations [Abstract]	'
Organization And Operations [Text Block]	'
	Note 1 – Organization and Operations
	General Steel Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) was incorporated on August 5, 2002 in the state of Nevada. The Company through its 100% owned subsidiary, General Steel Investment, operates steel companies serving various industries in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). The Company’s main operation is manufacturing and sales of steel products such as steel rebar, hot-rolled carbon and silicon sheets and spiral-weld pipes. The Company, together with its subsidiaries, majority owned subsidiaries and variable interest entity, is referred to as the “Group”.
	On April 29, 2011, a 20-year Unified Management Agreement (“the Agreement”) was entered into between the Company, the Company’s 60%-owned subsidiary Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (“Longmen Joint Venture”), Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd. (“Shaanxi Coal”) and Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group (“Shaanxi Steel”). Shaanxi Steel is the controlling shareholder of Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd (“Long Steel Group”) which is the non-controlling interest holder in Longmen Joint Venture, and Shaanxi Coal, a state owned entity, is the parent company of Shaanxi Steel. Under the terms of the Agreement, all manufacturing machinery and equipment of Longmen Joint Venture and the $605.8 million (or approximately RMB 3.7 billion) of newly constructed iron and steel making facilities owned by Shaanxi Steel, which includes one 400 m2 sintering machine, two 1,280 m3 blast furnaces, two 120 ton converters and some auxiliary systems, are managed collectively as a single virtual asset pool (“Asset Pool”). Longmen Joint Venture manages the Asset Pool as the principal operating entity and is responsible for the daily operations of the new and existing facilities.
	The Agreement leverages each of the parties’ operating strengths, allowing Longmen Joint Venture to derive the greatest benefit from the cooperation and the newly constructed iron and steel making facilities. At the designed efficiency level, these new facilities are expected to contribute three million tons of crude steel production capacity per year.
	Longmen Joint Venture pays Shaanxi Steel for the use of the constructed iron and steel making facilities an amount equaling the depreciation expense on the equipment constructed by Shaanxi Steel as well as 40% of the pre-tax profit generated by the Asset Pool. The remaining 60% of the pre-tax profit is allocated to Longmen Joint Venture. As a result, the Company’s economic interest in the profit generated by Longmen Joint Venture decreased from 60% to 36%. However, the overall capacity under the management of Longmen Joint Venture has increased by three million tons, or 75%. The Agreement is also expected to improve Longmen Joint Venture’s cost structure through sustainable and steady sourcing of key raw materials and reduced transportation costs. The distribution of profit is subject to a prospective adjustment after the first two years based on each entity’s actual investment of time and resources into the Asset Pool. There has been no adjustment to the Agreement from its inception to the present time nor intention to make future adjustment by the Company and Shaanxi Steel.
	The parties to the Agreement have agreed to establish the Shaanxi Longmen Iron and Steel Unified Management Supervisory Committee ("Supervisory Committee") to ensure that the facilities and related resources are being operated and managed according to the stipulations set forth in the Agreement. However, the Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture, of which the Company holds 4 out of 7 seats, requires a simple majority vote. Therefore, the Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture remains the controlling decision-making body of Longmen Joint Venture and the Asset Pool. See Note 2(c) “Consolidation of VIE.”
	The Agreement constitutes an arrangement that involves a lease which met certain of the criteria of a capital lease and therefore, the lease is accounted for as such by Longmen Joint Venture as a capital lease. See Notes 2 “Summary of significant accounting policies”, 15 “Capital lease obligations” and 16 “Profit sharing liability”.

Summary_of_significant_account

Summary of significant accounting policies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

'

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

'

Note 2 – Summary of significant accounting policies

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The financial statements include the accounts of all directly, indirectly owned subsidiaries and the variable interest entity listed below. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary to give a fair statement have been included. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. The information included in this Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with information included in the 2013 annual report filed on Form 10-K filed on March 27, 2014.

(a)

Basis of presentation

The consolidated financial statements of the Company reflect the activities of the following major directly owned subsidiaries:

Subsidiary

Percentage

of Ownership

General Steel Investment Co., Ltd.

British Virgin Islands

100

%

General Steel (China) Co., Ltd. (“General Steel (China)”)

PRC

100

%

Baotou Steel – General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Co., Ltd.

PRC

80

%

Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd. (“Yangpu Shengtong”)

PRC

99.1

%

Tianjin Qiu Steel Investment Co., Ltd. (“Qiu Steel”)

PRC

98.7

%

Longmen Joint Venture

PRC

VIE/60.0

%

Maoming Hengda Steel Company, Ltd. (“Maoming Hengda”)

PRC

99

%

Tianwu

Prior to November 19, 2013, the Company held a 60.0% equity interest in Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. (“Tianwu”). 32% interest was held by General Steel (China) and 28% interest was held by Yangpu Shengtong. On November 19, 2013, the Company sold its 28% equity interest of Tianwu held by Yangpu Shengtong to Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd., a related party through indirect common ownership, for $13.6 million (RMB 84.3 million) while retaining 32% interest held by General Steel (China). Tianwu is in the process of registering the ownership change with the local State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”) office. As a result of this transaction, the Company met the criteria under ASC 810-10-40-4 to deconsolidate Tianwu at disposal date and recognized a gain in accordance with ASC 810-10-40-5. At the same time, General Steel (China)’s remaining 32% interest is accounted for as an investment in unconsolidated subsidiaries using the equity method. See Note 2(t) - Investments in unconsolidated entities for details.

(b)

Principles of consolidation – subsidiaries

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, its variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which the Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary, and the VIE’s subsidiaries.

Subsidiaries are those entities in which the Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting power; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies, to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors, or to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of directors.

A VIE is an entity in which the Company, or its subsidiary, through contractual arrangements, bears the risks of, and enjoys the rewards normally associated with ownership of the entity, and therefore the Company or its subsidiary is the primary beneficiary of the entity.

All significant inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

(c)

Consolidation of VIE

Prior to entering into the Unified Management Agreement on April 29, 2011, Longmen Joint Venture had been consolidated as the Company’s 60% direct owned subsidiary. Upon entering into the Unified Management Agreement on April 29, 2011, Longmen Joint Venture was re-evaluated by the Company to determine if Longmen Joint Venture is a VIE and if the Company is the primary beneficiary.

Based on projected profits in this entity and future operating plans, Longmen Joint Venture ’s equity at risk is considered insufficient to finance its activities and therefore Longmen Joint Venture is considered to be a VIE.

The Company would be considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE if it has both of the following characteristics:

a.

The power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance; and

b.

The obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

A Supervisory Committee was formed during the negotiation of the Unified Management Agreement. Given there is both a Supervisory Committee and a Board with respect to Longmen Joint Venture , the powers (rights and roles) of both bodies were considered to determine which party has the power to direct the activities of Longmen Joint Venture , and by extension, whether the Company continues to have the power to direct Longmen Joint Venture ’s activities after this Supervisory Committee was formed and the significant investment in plant and equipment by owners of the Longmen Joint Venture partner. The Supervisory Committee, in which the Company holds 2 out of 4 seats, requires a ¾ majority vote, while the Board, which the Company holds 4 out of 7 seats, requires a simple majority vote. As the Supervisory Committee’s role is limited to supervising and monitoring management of Longmen Joint Venture and in the event there is any disagreement between the Board and the Supervisory Committee, the Board prevails, the Supervisory Committee is considered subordinate to the Board. Thus, the Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. The Company, which controls 60% of the voting rights of the Board of Directors, has control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture and as such, has the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact Longmen Joint Venture ’s economic performance.

In connection with the Unified Management Agreement, the Company, Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel may provide such support on a discretionary basis or as needed in the future. See Note 2 item (d) Liquidity.

The Company has the obligation to absorb losses and the rights to receive benefits based on the profit allocation as stipulated by the Unified Management Agreement that are significant to the VIE. As both conditions are met, the Company is the primary beneficiary of Longmen Joint Venture and therefore, continues to consolidate Longmen Joint Venture as a VIE.

The Company believes that the Unified Management Agreement between Longmen Joint Venture and Shaanxi Coal is in compliance with PRC law and is legally enforceable. The Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. The Company, which controls 60% of the voting rights of the Board of Directors, has control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture and as such, has the power to direct the activities of the VIE. However, PRC law and/or uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company’s ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement, which in turn, may lead to reconsideration of the VIE assessment and the potential for a different conclusion. If the Unified Management Agreement cannot be enforced, the Company would not consolidate Longmen Joint Venture as a VIE. However, the current PRC legal system has not limited the Company’s ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement nor does the Company believe it is likely to do so in the future. The Company makes ongoing assessment to determine whether Longmen Joint Venture is a VIE.

The carrying amount of the VIE and its subsidiaries’ consolidated assets and liabilities are as follows:

March 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Current assets

$

1,174,775

$

1,282,054

Plant and equipment, net

1,260,199

1,262,144

Other noncurrent assets

77,116

29,014

Total assets

2,512,090

2,573,212

Total liabilities

-3,039,135

-3,040,879

Net liabilities

$

-527,045

$

-467,667

VIE and its subsidiaries’ liabilities consist of the following:

March 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Current liabilities:

Short term notes payable

$

937,389

$

988,364

Accounts payable

479,154

393,816

Accounts payable - related parties

281,899

235,116

Short term loans - bank

189,219

267,688

Short term loans - others

42,525

55,844

Short term loans - related parties

103,635

125,236

Current maturities of long-term loans – related party

56,130

56,614

Other payables and accrued liabilities

51,991

37,028

Other payables - related parties

76,370

88,914

Customer deposits

106,959

87,661

Customer deposits - related parties

27,020

18,359

Deposit due to sales representatives

23,713

24,343

Deposit due to sales representatives – related parties

1,980

1,997

Taxes payable

6,013

3,357

Deferred lease income

2,168

2,187

Capital lease obligations, current

4,774

4,321

Intercompany payable to be eliminated

21,237

21,420

Total current liabilities

2,412,176

2,412,265

Non-current liabilities:

Long term loans - related parties

15,906

16,043

Deferred lease income - noncurrent

74,072

75,257

Capital lease obligations, noncurrent

376,025

375,019

Profit sharing liability

160,956

162,295

Total non-current liabilities

626,959

628,614

Total liabilities of consolidated VIE

$

3,039,135

$

3,040,879

Three months ended

Three months ended

March 31, 2014

March 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Sales

$

594,014

$

646,748

Gross (loss) profit

$

-22,219

$

4,367

Income (loss) from operations

$

-39,294

$

34,937

Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest

$

-38,034

$

8,325

Longmen Joint Venture has two 100% owned subsidiaries, Yuxin Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuxin”) and Yuteng Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuteng”). Longmen Joint Venture has two consolidated subsidiaries, Hualong and Huatianyulong, in which it does not hold a controlling interest. Hualong and Huatianyulong are separate legal entities which were established in the PRC as limited liability companies and subsequently invested in by Longmen Joint Venture in June 2007 and July 2008, respectively. However, these two entities do not meet the definition of variable interest entities. Further consideration was given to whether consolidation was appropriate under the voting interest model, specifically where the power of control may exist with a lesser percentage of ownership (i.e. less than 50%), for example, by contract, lease, agreement with other stockholders or by court decree.

Hualong

Longmen Joint Venture, the single largest shareholder, holds a 36.0% equity interest in Hualong. The other two shareholders, who own 34.67% and 29.33% respectively, assigned their voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of the acquisition of Hualong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Hualong ceases its business operations or the other two shareholders sell their interest in Hualong. Hualong’s main business is to supply refractory. The assets, liabilities and the operating results of Hualong are immaterial to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Huatianyulong

Longmen Joint Venture holds a 50.0% equity interest in Huatianyulong and the other unrelated shareholder holds the remaining 50.0%. The other shareholder assigned its voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of acquisition of Huatianyulong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Huatianyulong ceases its business operation or the other unrelated shareholder sells its interest in Huatianyulong. Huatianyulong mainly sells imported iron ore. The assets, liabilities and the operating results of Huatianyulong are immaterial to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

The Company has determined that it is appropriate for Longmen Joint Venture to consolidate Hualong and Huatianyulong with appropriate recognition in the Company’s financial statements of the non-controlling interests in each entity, beginning on the acquisition dates as these were also the effective dates of the agreements with other stockholders granting a majority voting rights in each entity, and thereby, the power of control, to Longmen Joint Venture.

(d)

Liquidity

The Company’s accounts have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP on a going concern basis. The going concern basis assumes that assets are realized and liabilities are extinguished in the ordinary course of business at amounts disclosed in the financial statements. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern depends upon aligning its sources of funding (debt and equity) with the expenditure requirements of the Company and repayment of the short-term debt facilities as and when they fall due.

The steel business is capital intensive and as a normal industry practice in PRC, the Company is highly leveraged. Debt financing in the form of short term bank loans, loans from related parties, financing sales, bank acceptance notes, and capital leases have been utilized to finance the working capital requirements and the capital expenditures of the Company. As a result, the Company’s debt to equity ratio as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were (5.8) and (6.5), respectively. As of March 31, 2014, the Company’s current liabilities exceed current assets (excluding non-cash item) by $1.3 billion.

Longmen Joint Venture, as the most important entity of the Company, accounted for majority of total sales of the Company. As such, the majority of the Company’s working capital needs come from Longmen Joint Venture. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern depends heavily on Longmen Joint Venture’s operations. Longmen Joint Venture has obtained different types of financial supports, which are listed below by category:

Line of credit

The Company received lines of credit from the listed major banks totaling $229.0 million with expiration dates ranging from March 23, 2015 to July 17, 2015.

Banks

Amount of

Repayment Date

Line of Credit

(in millions)

Bank of Chongqing

48.7

March 23, 2015*

Industrial Bank Co., Ltd.

48.7

5-May-15

China Merchant Bank

48.7

19-May-15

China CITIC Bank

32.5

16-Jun-15

Bank of Communication

17.9

17-Jul-15

Bank of Jinzhou

32.5

March 23, 2015*

Total

$

229

*Management expects the lines of credit will be extended after the repayment dates.

As of the date of this report, the Company utilized $181.0 million of these lines of credit.

Vendor financing

Longmen Joint Venture signed additional vendor financing agreements, which will provide liquidity to the Company in a total amount of $811.5 million with the following companies:

Company

Financing period covered

Financing Amount

(in millions)

Company A – related party

July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015

$

162.3

Company B – third party

January 22, 2014 – January 22, 2017

162.3

Company C – third party

October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2015

486.9

Total

$

811.5

Company A, a related party company and Company B, a third party company, are both Longmen Joint Venture’s major coke suppliers. They have been doing business with Longmen Joint Venture for years. On January 6, 2013, Company A signed a two-year agreement with Longmen Joint Venture to finance its coke purchase up to $81.9 million. On July 1, 2013, Company A agreed to increase the financing amount to $162.3 million and extend the financing period to June 30, 2015. Company B signed a two-year agreement with Longmen Joint Venture on November 7, 2013 to finance its coke purchase up to $162.3 million and agreed to extend the financing period for another three years effective on January 22, 2014. According to the above signed agreements, both Company A and B will not demand any cash payments during their respective financing periods. As of the date of this report, our payables to Company A and Company B were approximately $67.2 million and $94.9 million, respectively.

Company C is a Fortune 500 Company. On June 28, 2013, Company C signed an agreement with Longmen Joint Venture to finance Longmen Joint Venture’s purchase of iron ore for an amount up to $486.9 million to commence on October 1, 2013 and end on March 31, 2015. Subject to the terms of the agreement, Longmen Joint Venture is subject to a penalty of 0.05% of the daily outstanding balance owed to Company C in an event of late payment. As of the date of this report, our payable to Company C is approximately $5.8 million.

Other financing

On February 20, 2014, March 5, 2014, April 22, 2014 and April 23, 2014 Longmen Joint Venture signed payment extension agreements with each company listed below. In total, Longmen Joint Venture can obtain $362.0 million in financial support from two-year and three-year balancing payment extensions granted by the following five companies:

Company

Financing period covered

Financing Amount

(in millions)

Company D – related party

April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017

$

81.2

Company E – related party

April 23, 2014 – April 23, 2017

86

Company F – related party

April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017

81.2

Company G – related party

March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016

56.8

Company H – related party

March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016

56.8

Total

$

362

According to the contract terms, Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G and Company H have agreed to grant payment extensions in the amounts of $81.2 million, $86.0 million, $81.2 million, $56.8 million and $56.8 million respectively. As of the date of this report, our payables to Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G and Company H are approximately $20.3 million, $14.2 million, $16.1 million, $7.5 million and $9.6 million, respectively.

Amount due to sales representatives

Longmen Joint Venture entered into agreements with various entities to act as the Company’s exclusive sales agents in specified geographic areas.  These exclusive sales agents must meet certain criteria and are required to deposit a certain amount of money with the Company. In return, the sales agents receive exclusive sales rights in a specified area and discounted prices on products they order. These deposits bear no interest and are required to be returned to the sales agent once the agreement is terminated. As of March 31, 2014, Longmen Joint Venture has collected a total amount of $25.7 million. Historically, this amount is quite stable and we do not expect a big fluctuation in this amount for the next twelve months from March 31, 2014 onwards.

With the financial support from the banks and the companies above, management is of the opinion that the Company has sufficient funds to meet its future operations, working capital requirements and debt obligations until the end of March 31, 2015. The detailed breakdown of Longmen Joint Venture’s estimated cash flows items are listed below.

Cash inflow (outflow)

(in millions)

For the twelve months

ended March 31, 2015

Current liabilities over current assets (excluding non-cash items) as of March 31, 2014 (unaudited)

$

-1,295.40

Projected cash financing and outflows:

Cash provided by line of credit from banks

229

Cash provided by vendor financing

811.5

Cash provided by other financing

362

Cash provided by sales representatives

25.7

Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015

-29.5

Cash projected to be used for financing cost in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015

-74

Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ended March 31, 2015

$

29.3

As a result, the consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2014 have been prepared on a going concern basis.

(e)

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and footnotes. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements include the fair value of the profit sharing liability, the useful lives of and impairment for property, plant and equipment, and potential losses on uncollectible receivables, allowance for inventory valuation, the interest rate used in the financing sales, the fair value of the assets recorded under capital lease and the present value of the net minimum lease payments of the capital lease. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

(f)

Concentration of risks and uncertainties

The Company’s operations are carried out in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic and legal environment in the PRC, and by the general state of the PRC’s economy. The Company’s operations in the PRC are subject to specific considerations and significant risks not typically associated with companies in North America and Western Europe. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, and rates and methods of taxation, among other things.

The Company has significant exposure to the price fluctuation of raw materials and energy prices as part of its normal operations. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company did not have any open commodity contracts to mitigate such risks.

Cash includes demand deposits in accounts maintained with banks within the PRC, Hong Kong and the United States. Total cash (including restricted cash balances) in these banks on March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 amounted to $465.0 million and $431.3 million, including $0.4 million and $2.0 million that were deposited in Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Financial Co., Ltd., a related party, respectively. As of March 31, 2014, $0.2 million cash in the bank was covered by insurance. The Company has not experienced any losses in other bank accounts and believes it is not exposed to any risks on its cash in bank accounts.

The Company’s five major customers are all distributors and collectively represented approximately 20.4% and 20.4% of the Company’s total sales for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. None of the five major customers accounted for more than 10% of total sales for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. These five major customers accounted for 0% of total accounts receivable, including related parties, as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. None of the five major customers accounted for more than 10% of total accounts receivable as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company purchased approximately 43.9% and 32.6% of its raw materials from five major suppliers, respectively. One of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of the total purchases for the three months ended March 31, 2014, and none of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of the total purchases for the three months ended March 31, 2013. These five vendors accounted for 39.6% and 29.1% of total accounts payable, including related parties, as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Two of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of total accounts payable as March 31, 2014, and none of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of total accounts payable as December 31, 2013.

(g)

Foreign currency translation and other comprehensive income

The reporting currency of the Company is the U.S. dollar. The Company’s subsidiaries and VIE in China use the local currency, Renminbi (“RMB”), as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at the unified exchange rate as quoted by the People’s Bank of China at the end of the period. The statement of operations accounts are translated at the average translation rates and the equity accounts are translated at historical rates. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are included in accumulated other comprehensive income in the statement of equity. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in the results of operations as incurred.

Translation adjustments included in accumulated other comprehensive income amounted to $3.6 million and $0.7 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The balance sheet amounts, with the exception of equity at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were translated at 6.16 RMB and 6.11 RMB to $1.00, respectively. The equity accounts were stated at their historical rate. The average translation rates applied to statement of operations accounts for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 were 6.12 RMB and 6.28 RMB, respectively. Cash flows are also translated at average translation rates for the periods, therefore, amounts reported on the statement of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the consolidated balance sheet.

The PRC government imposes significant exchange restrictions on fund transfers out of the PRC that are not related to business operations. These restrictions have not had a material impact on the Company because it has not engaged in any significant transactions that are subject to the restrictions.

(h)

Financial instruments

The accounting standards regarding fair value of financial instruments and related fair value measurements defines financial instruments and requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments held by the Company. The Company considers the carrying amount of cash, short term investment, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, to approximate their fair values because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization. For short term loans and notes payable, the Company concluded the carrying values are a reasonable estimate of fair values because of the short period of time between the origination and repayment and as their stated interest rates approximate current rates available.

The Company analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity, pursuant to which the Company’s warrants were required to be recorded as a liability at fair value and marked to market each reporting period.

The accounting standards define fair value, establish a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of fair value measurement and enhance disclosure requirements for fair value measures. The three levels are defined as follow:

⋅

Level 1 inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

⋅

Level 2 inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the assets or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments.

⋅

Level 3 inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value.

On December 13, 2007, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors for the sale of $40 million of Notes and 1,154,958 common stock warrants, initially exercisable at $13.51 per share. On December 24, 2009, the warrant holders entered into an agreement with the Company that reset the exercise price from $13.51 to $5 per share and increased the number of warrants from 1,154,958 to 3,900,871. The warrants were accounted for as derivative liabilities and recorded at their fair value, with the change in fair value charged or credited to income each period.  The warrants expired unexercised on May 13, 2013. Prior to their expiration, the fair value of the warrants was estimated using a binomial lattice model, using level 3 inputs.

Payments related to the capital lease of the Asset Pool consist of two components: (1) a fixed monthly payment of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million), based on Shaanxi Steel’s cost to construct the assets, to be paid for the 20 year term of the Unified Management Agreement; and (2) 40% of any remaining pre-tax profits from the Asset Pool, which includes Longmen Joint Venture and the constructed iron and steel making facilities. The aforementioned profit sharing component meets the definition of a derivative instrument under ASC 815-10-15-83 and, accordingly, the profit sharing liability is accounted for separately as a derivative liability. It was recognized initially at its estimated fair value at inception. The estimated fair value is adjusted each reporting period, with changes in the estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability charged or credited to income each period.

The Company determines the fair value of the profit sharing liability using Level 3 inputs by considering the present value of Longmen Joint Venture’s projected profits/losses with a discount rate of 7.3%, based on the Company’s average borrowing rate. The projected profits/losses in Longmen Joint Venture are based upon, but not limited to, the following assumptions:

⋅

projected selling units and growth in the steel market

⋅

projected unit selling price in the steel market

⋅

projected unit purchase cost in the coal and iron ore markets

⋅

selling and general and administrative expenses to be in line with the growth in the steel market

⋅

projected bank borrowings

⋅

interest rate index

⋅

gross nation product index

⋅

industry index

⋅

government policy

From inception to December 31, 2012, the assumptions underlying the estimated fair value did not change significantly. Beginning in the first quarter of 2013, the assumptions related to unit selling prices and costs were revised, resulting in a reduction of the estimated profit sharing liability. These assumptions were further revised during 2013. The above assumptions were again reviewed by the Company at March 31, 2014 but no major change was deemed necessary to the assumptions used at December 31, 2013. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company recognized a loss on the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability of $0.05 million, due to a $2.81 million reduction in the present value discount offset by a $2.76 million gain resulting from the Asset Pool’s operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2014 being slightly lower than previously estimated as of December 31, 2013.

The estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability at March 31, 2014 is $161.0 million. Changes in any of the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the profit sharing liability will change the liability accordingly. If we were to reduce the projected bank borrowings rate used to discount the liability to a present value by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31, 2014 would have been $184.2 million and we would increase the loss from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $23.2 million. If we were to reduce the projected selling units and growth in the steel market rate by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31, 2014 would have been $158.4 million and we would increase the gain from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $1.8 million.

The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2014:

(in thousands)

Carrying Value as

Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2014

of March 31, 2014

Using Fair Value Hierarchy

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Profit sharing liability

$

160,956

$

-

$

-

$

160,956

Total

$

160,956

$

-

$

-

$

160,956

The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013:

(in thousands)

Carrying Value as

Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2013

of December 31,  2013

Using Fair Value Hierarchy

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Profit sharing liability

$

162,295

$

-

$

-

$

162,295

Total

$

162,295

$

-

$

-

$

162,295

The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and for the year ended December 31, 2013:

March 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Beginning balance

$

162,295

$

328,828

Change in fair value of profit sharing liability:

Present value discount amortization

2,810

16,872

Change in estimate

-2,761

-191,441

Change in derivative liabilities-warrants

-

1

Exchange rate effect

-1,388

8,035

Ending balance

$

160,956

$

162,295

Except for the derivative liabilities related to the profit sharing liability and to the warrants issued by the Company, which expired on May 13, 2013, the Company did not identify any other assets or liabilities that are required to be presented on the balance sheet at fair value. The carrying value of the long term loans-related party approximates its fair value as of the reporting date.

(i)

Notes receivable

Notes receivable represents trade accounts receivable due from various customers where the customers’ banks have guaranteed the payment. The notes are non-interest bearing and normally paid within three to six months. The Company has the ability to submit request for payment to the customer’s bank earlier than the scheduled payment date, but will incur an interest charge and a processing fee.

Restricted notes receivable represents notes receivable pledged as collateral for short-term loans and short-term notes payable issued by banks.

Interest expenses for early submission request of payment amounted to $14.1 million and $10.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

(j)

Plant and equipment, net

Plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets with a 3%-5% residual value. The depreciation expense on assets acquired under capital leases is included with depreciation expense on owned assets. The estimated useful lives are as follows:

Buildings and Improvements

10-40 Years

Machinery

10-30 Years

Machinery and equipment under capital lease

10-20 Years

Other equipment

5 Years

Transportation Equipment

5 Years

The Company assesses all significant leases for purposes of classification as either operating or capital. At lease inception, if the lease meets any of the four following criteria, the Company will classify it as a capital lease; otherwise it will be treated as an operating lease: a) transfer of ownership to lessee at the end of the lease term, b) bargain purchase option, c) lease term is equal to 75% or more of the estimated economic life of the leased property, d) the present value of the minimum lease payments is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased asset.

Construction in progress represents the costs incurred in connection with the construction of buildings or new additions to the Company’s plant facilities. No depreciation is provided for construction in progress until such time as the assets are completed and are placed into service, maintenance, repairs and minor renewals are charged directly to expense as incurred. Major additions and betterment to buildings and equipment are capitalized. Interest incurred during construction is capitalized into construction in progress. All other interest is expensed as incurred.

Long lived assets, including buildings and improvements, equipment and intangible assets are reviewed if events and changes in circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable, to determine whether their carrying value has become impaired. The Company considers assets to be impaired if the carrying value exceeds the future projected cash flows from related operations. The Company also re-evaluates the periods of depreciation and amortization to determine whether subsequent events and circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives.

(k)

Intangible assets

Finite lived intangible assets of the Company are reviewed for impairment if events and circumstances require. The Company considers assets to be impaired if the carrying value exceeds the future projected cash flows from related operations. The Company also re-evaluates the periods of amortization to determine whether subsequent events and circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives.  As of March 31, 2014, the Company expects these assets to be fully recoverable.

Land use rights

All land in the PRC is owned by the government. However, the government grants “land use rights.”  General Steel (China) acquired land use rights in 2001 for a total of $3.9 million (RMB 23.7 million). These land use rights are for 50 years and expire in 2050 and 2053. The Company amortizes the land use rights over the twenty-year business term because its business license had a twenty-year term.

Long Steel Group contributed land use rights for a total amount of $24.1 million (RMB 148.3 million) to the Longmen Joint Venture. The contributed land use rights are for 50 years and expire in 2048 to 2052.

Maoming Hengda has land use rights amounting to $2.7 million (RMB 16.6 million) for 50 years that expire in 2054.

Other than the land use rights that General Steel (China) acquired in 2001, the Company amortizes the land use rights over their 50 year term.

Entity

Original Cost

Expires on

(in thousands)

General Steel (China)

$

3,851

2050 & 2053

Longmen Joint Venture

$

24,075

2048 & 2052

Maoming Hengda

$

2,694

2054

Mining right

Mining rights are capitalized at cost when acquired, including amounts associated with any value beyond proven and probable reserves, and amortized to operations as depletion expense using the units-of-production method over the estimated proven and probable recoverable tons. Longmen Joint Venture has iron ore mining right amounting to $2.4 million (RMB 15.0 million), which is amortized over the estimated recoverable reserve of 4.2 million tons.

(l)

Investments in unconsolidated entities

Entities in which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but does not have a controlling interest, are accounted for using the equity method. Significant influence is generally considered to exist when the Company has an ownership interest in the voting stock between 20% and 50%, and other factors, such as representation on the Board of Directors, voting rights and the impact of commercial arrangements, are considered in determining whether the equity method of accounting is appropriate. The Company accounts for investments with ownership less than 20% using the cost method.

The table below summarizes Longmen Joint Venture’s investment holdings as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Unconsolidated entities

Year

March 31, 2014

Owned

December 31,

Owned

acquired

Net investment

%

2013

%

(In thousands)

Net investment

(In thousands)

Xi’an Delong Powder Engineering Materials Co., Ltd.

2007

$

1,042

24.1

$

1,215

24.1

The table below summarizes General Steel (China)’s investment holding (see Note 2(a) - Basis of presentation) as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Unconsolidated entities

Year

March 31, 2014

Owned

December 31,

Owned

acquired

Net investment

%

2013

%

(In thousands)

Net investment

(In thousands)

Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.

2010

$

15,593

32

$

15,728

32

Total investment income (loss) in unconsolidated subsidiaries amounted to $0.01 million and $(0.04) million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which was included in “Income from equity investments” in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income.

(m)

Revenue recognition

Sales is recognized at the date of shipment to customers when a formal arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable, the delivery is completed, the Company has no other significant obligations and collectability is reasonably assured. Payments received before all of the relevant criteria for revenue recognition are recorded as customer deposits. Sales represent the invoiced value of goods, net of value-added tax (VAT). All of the Company’s products sold in the PRC are subject to a Chinese value-added tax at a rate of 13% or 17% of the gross sales price. This VAT may be offset by VAT paid by the Company on raw materials and other materials included in the cost of producing the finished product.

The Company infrequently engages in trading transactions in which the Company acts as an agent between the suppliers and the customers. The trading arrangements are such that the suppliers are the primary obligators, the Company does not have any general inventory risk, physical inventory loss risk or credit risk, and the Company does not have latitude in establishing price. Sales and cost of goods sold from these trading arrangements are recorded at the net amount retained in accordance with ASC 605-45.

(n)

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and cash flows.

Loans_receivable_related_parti

Loans receivable - related parties	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Loans and Leases Receivable, Related Parties Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Loans Receivable Related Parties Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 3 – Loans receivable – related parties
	Loans receivable – related parties represents amounts the Company expects to collect from related parties upon maturity.
	The Company had the following loans receivable – related parties due within one year as of:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Loan to Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd; due in June, July and December 2014; interest rate was 4.75%	$	4,540	$	4,540
	Total loans receivable – related parties	$	4,540	$	4,540
	See Note 20 “Related party transactions and balances” for the nature of the relationship of related parties.
	Total interest income for the loans amounted to $0.1 million and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Accounts_receivable_including_

Accounts receivable (including related parties), net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Receivables [Abstract]	'
Accounts Receivable [Text Block]	'
	Note 4 – Accounts receivable (including related parties), net
	Accounts receivable, including related party receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts consists of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Accounts receivable	$	5,188	$	5,131
	Less: allowance for doubtful accounts		-800		-1,053
	Accounts receivable – related parties		4,474		2,942
	Net accounts receivable	$	8,862	$	7,020
	Movement of allowance for doubtful accounts is as follows:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	1,053	$	1,367
	Charge to expense		-		96
	Less: recovery		-245		-449
	Exchange rate effect		-8		39
	Ending balance	$	800	$	1,053

Inventories

Inventories	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Inventory Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 5 – Inventories
	Inventories consist of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Supplies	$	23,172	$	21,040
	Raw materials		130,356		164,301
	Finished goods		72,611		42,977
	Less: allowance for inventory valuation		-15,378		-15,397
	Total inventories	$	210,761	$	212,921
	Raw materials consist primarily of iron ore and coke at Longmen Joint Venture. The cost of finished goods includes direct costs of raw materials as well as direct labor used in production. Indirect production costs at normal capacity such as utilities and indirect labor related to production such as assembling, shipping and handling costs for purchasing are also included in the cost of inventory.
	The Company values its inventory at the lower of cost or market, determined on a weighted average method, or net realizable value. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had provided allowance for inventory valuation in the amounts of $15.4 million and $15.4 million, respectively.
	Movement of allowance for inventory valuation is as follows:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	15,397	$	9,585
	Addition		15,493		15,194
	Less: write-off		-15,380		-9,757
	Exchange rate effect		-132		375
	Ending balance	$	15,378	$	15,397

Advances_on_inventory_purchase

Advances on inventory purchases	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Advances On Inventory Purchase [Text Block]	'
	Note 6 – Advances on inventory purchases
	Advances on inventory purchases are monies deposited or advanced to outside vendors or related parties on future inventory purchases. Most of the Company’s vendors require a certain amount of money to be deposited with them as a guarantee that the Company will complete its purchases on a timely basis.
	This amount is refundable and bears no interest. The Company has legally binding contracts with its vendors, which require the deposit to be returned to the Company or netted against accounts payable due to its vendors to the extent there are unpaid balances when the contract ends. The inventory is normally delivered within one month after the monies have been advanced. The total outstanding amount, including advances to related parties, was $164.8 million and $127.9 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Plant_and_equipment_net

Plant and equipment, net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 7 – Plant and equipment, net
	Plant and equipment consist of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Buildings and improvements	$	287,617	$	274,402
	Machinery		663,902		667,093
	Machinery under capital lease		618,559		623,895
	Transportation and other equipment		23,220		22,991
	Construction in progress		24,920		11,412
	Subtotal		1,618,218		1,599,793
	Less: accumulated depreciation		-349,019		-327,886
	Total	$	1,269,199	$	1,271,907
	Construction in progress consisted of the following as of March 31, 2014:
	Construction in progress	Value		Completion		Estimated
						additional cost to
						complete
	description	(In thousands)		date		(In thousands)
	Factory wall remodel		1,021		Jun-14		77
	Equipment updates		696		May-14		1,332
	Sintering machine construction		3,923		Nov-14		141,580
	#5 blast furnace construction		10,654		Dec-14		166,253
	Electrical substation construction		5		Aug-14		24,523
	Reconstruction of miscellaneous factory buildings		5,272		Jun-14		4,405
	Project materials		2,136				-
	Others		1,213				-
	Total	$	24,920			$	338,170
	The Company is obligated under a capital lease for the iron and steel making facilities, including one sintering machine, two converters, two blast furnaces and some auxiliary systems that expire on April 30, 2031. During 2013, Longmen Joint Venture entered into a number of capital lease agreements for energy-saving equipment installed throughout the steel production line. The Company is obligated under the capital lease for the equipment upon the confirmation of the energy-saving rate between the Company and its vendors.
	The carrying value of assets acquired under the capital lease consists of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Machinery	$	618,559	$	623,895
	Less: accumulated depreciation		-84,250		-77,086
	Carrying value of leased assets	$	534,309	$	546,809
	The Company assessed the recoverability of all of its remaining long lived assets at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively, and such assessment did not result in any impairment charges.
	Depreciation expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $24.1 million and $21.1 million, respectively. These amounts include depreciation of assets held under capital leases for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, which amounted to $7.9 million and $7.0 million, respectively.

Intangible_assets_net

Intangible assets, net	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Intangible Assets Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 8 – Intangible assets, net
	Intangible assets consist of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Land use rights	$	30,620	$	30,884
	Mining right		2,438		2,459
	Software		1,047		743
	Subtotal		34,105		34,086
	Less:
	Accumulated amortization – land use rights		-8,595		-8,498
	Accumulated amortization – mining right		-1,322		-1,320
	Accumulated amortization – software		-601		-561
	Subtotal		-10,518		-10,379
	Intangible assets, net	$	23,587	$	23,707
	The gross amount of the intangible assets amounted to $34.1 million and $34.1 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The remaining weighted average amortization period is 33.3 years as of March 31, 2014.
	Total amortization expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively.
	Total depletion expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $0.01 million and $0.1 million, respectively.
	The estimated aggregate amortization and depletion expenses for each of the five succeeding years is as follows:
	Year ending	Estimated			Gross carrying
		amortization and			amount
		depletion expenses
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	31-Mar-15	$	917		22,669
	31-Mar-16		917		21,752
	31-Mar-17		917		20,835
	31-Mar-18		917		19,918
	31-Mar-19		917		19,001
	Thereafter		19,002		-
	Total	$	23,587

Debt

Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Debt Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 9 – Debt
	Short-term notes payable
	Short-term notes payable are lines of credit extended by banks. Banks in turn issue the Company a bank acceptance note, which can be endorsed and assigned to vendors as payments for purchases. The notes payable are generally payable within three to six months. This short-term note payable is guaranteed by the bank for its complete face value. The banks do not charge interest on these notes, but usually charge a transaction fee of 0.05% of the notes value. In addition, the banks usually require the Company to deposit either a certain amount of cash at the bank as a guarantee deposit, which is classified on the balance sheet as restricted cash, or provide notes receivable as security, which are classified on the balance sheet as restricted notes receivable. Restricted cash as a guarantee for the notes payable amounted to $419.8 million and $399.4 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Restricted notes receivable as a guarantee for the notes payable amounted to $133.0 million and $231.7 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.
	The Company had the following short-term notes payable as of:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	General Steel (China): Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from April to July 2014. Restricted cash required of $13.0 million and $16.4 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.	$	25,968	$	29,466
	Longmen Joint Venture: Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from April to September 2014. $406.8 million restricted cash and $133.0 million notes receivable are secured for notes payable as of March 31, 2014, and comparatively $383.0 million restricted cash and $231.7 million notes receivable secured as of December 31, 2013, respectively; some notes are further guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.		937,389		988,364
	Total short-term notes payable	$	963,357	$	1,017,830
	Short-term loans
	Short-term loans represent amounts due to various banks, other companies and individuals, including related parties, normally due within one year. The principal of the loans are due at maturity but can be renewed at the bank’s option. Accrued interest is due either monthly or quarterly.
	Short term loans due to banks, related parties and other parties consisted of the following as of:
	Due to banks
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	General Steel (China): Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from May 2014 to January 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 7.1% per annum and 7.2% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties. These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.	$	40,899	$	34,229
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from April 2014 to January 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 6.1% per annum and 6.3% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties, restricted cash or notes receivables. $128.2 million and $163.9 million restricted notes receivable were secured for the loans as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.		189,219		267,688
	Total short-term loans - bank	$	230,118	$	301,917
	As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had not met its financial covenants stipulated by certain loan agreements related to the Company’s debt to asset ratio. As of March 31, 2014, two of General Steel (China)’s bank loans contained financial covenants stipulating debt to asset ratios below 20%. However, as of March 31, 2014, General Steel (China)’s debt to asset ratio was 93.5%. As of December 31, 2013, three of General Steel (China)’s bank loans contained financial covenants stipulating debt to asset ratios below 20% and 70%. However, as of December 31, 2013, General Steel (China)’s debt to asset ratio was 89.7%.
	Furthermore, the Company is a party to a loan agreement with a cross default clause whereby any breach of loan covenants will automatically result in default of the loan. The outstanding balance of the short term loans affected by the above breach of covenants and cross default as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $5.2 million and $6.4 million, respectively. According to the Company’s short term loan agreements, the banks have the rights to request for more collateral or additional guarantees if the breach of covenant is not remedied or request early repayment of the loan if the Company does not cure such breach within a certain period of time. As of the date of this report, the Company has not received any notice from the banks to request more collateral, additional guarantees or early repayment of the short term loans due to the breach of covenant.
	Due to unrelated parties
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various unrelated companies and individuals, due various dates from April to September 2014, and weighted average interest rate was 5.6% per annum and 5.2% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.	$	17,987	$	22,720
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from financing sales.		24,538		33,124
	Maoming Hengda: Loans from one unrelated parties and one related party, due on demand, none interest bearing.		6,170		6,223
	Total short-term loans – others	$	48,695	$	62,067
	The Company had various loans from unrelated companies amounting to $48.7 million and $62.1 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Of the $48.7 million, $6.2 million loans carry no interest, $24.5 million of financing sales are subject to interest rates ranging between 4.2% and 5.9%, and the remaining $18.0 million are subject to interest rates ranging from 5.0% to 12.0%. All short term loans from unrelated companies are payable on demand and unsecured.
	As part of its working capital management, Longmen Joint Venture has entered into a number of sale and purchase back contracts ("contracts") with third party companies and Yuxin and Yuteng. According to the contracts, Longmen Joint Venture sells rebar to the third party companies at a certain price, and within the same month, Yuxin and Yuteng will purchase back the rebar from the third party companies at a price of 4.2% to 5.9% higher than the original selling price from Longmen Joint Venture. Based on the contract terms, Longmen Joint Venture is paid in advance for the rebar sold to the third party companies and Yuxin and Yuteng are given a credit period of several months to one year from the third party companies. There is no physical movement of the inventory during the sale and purchase back arrangement. The margin of 4.2% to 5.9% is determined by reference to the bank loan interest rates at the time when the contracts are entered into, plus an estimated premium based on the financing sale amount, which represents the interest charged by the third party companies for financing Longmen Joint Venture through the above sale and purchase back arrangement. The revenue and cost of goods sold arising from the above transactions are eliminated and the incremental amounts paid by Yuxin and Yuteng to purchase back the goods are treated as financing costs in the consolidated financial statements.
	Total financing sales for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $230.5 million and $165.2 million, respectively, which are eliminated in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The financial cost related to financing sales for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $0.9 million and $1.6 million, respectively.
	Short term loans due to related parties
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	General Steel China: Loans from Yangpu Capital Automobile, due on demand, and interest rates is 10% per annum.	$	1,445	$	1,458
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loan from Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd., due on demand, and interest rate is 7.0% per annum.		22,169		28,216
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loan from Shaanxi Steel Group due on various dates from November 2014 to March 2015, and interest rate is 6.6% and 7.0% per annum.		73,035		49,110
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from financing sales.		8,431		47,909
	Total short-term loans - related parties	$	105,080	$	126,693
	Long-term loans due to related party
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from Shaanxi Steel Group, due on various dates through November 2015 and interest rate are 5.6% - 5.9% per annum.	$	72,035	$	72,657
	Less: Current maturities of long-term loans – related party		-57,428		-53,013
	Long-term loans - related party	$	14,607	$	19,644
	Total interest expense, net of capitalized interest, amounted to $9.5 million and $8.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
	Capitalized interest amounted to $0.6 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Customer_deposits

Customer deposits	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Deposits [Abstract]	'
Customer Deposits Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 10 – Customer deposits
	Customer deposits represent amounts advanced by customers on product orders. The product normally is shipped within one month after receipt of the advance payment, and the related sale is recognized in accordance with the Company’s revenue recognition policy. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31 2013, customer deposits amounted to $252.4 million and $152.7 million, respectively, including deposits received from related parties, which amounted to $145.4 million and $64.9 million, respectively.

Deposits_due_to_sales_represen

Deposits due to sales representatives	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Deposits Due To Sales Representatives [Abstract]	'
Deposits Due To Sales Representatives [Text Block]	'
	Note 11 – Deposits due to sales representatives
	Longmen Joint Venture entered into agreements with various entities to act as the Company’s exclusive sales agent in a specified geographic area.  These exclusive sales agents must meet certain criteria and are required to deposit a certain amount of money with the Company. In return the sales agents receive exclusive sales rights in a specified area and at discounted prices on products they order. These deposits bear no interest and are required to be returned to the sales agent once the agreement is terminated. The agreement is normally entered/or renewed on an annual basis. Termination of the agreement can be mutually agreed to by both parties at any time. The Company had $25.7 million and $26.3 million in deposits due to sales representatives, including deposits due to related parties, as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Warrants

Warrants	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Warrants and Rights Note Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 12 – Warrants
	The Company had 3,900,871 outstanding warrants in connection with the $40 million convertible notes issued in 2007, which expired on May 13, 2013. The aforementioned warrants met the definition of a derivative instrument in the accounting standards and were recorded at their fair value on each reporting date. The change in the value of the derivative liabilities is charged against or credited to income each period.
	The Company had the following warrants outstanding:
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2012	3,900,871
	Granted	-
	Forfeited / expired	-3,900,871
	Exercised	-
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2013	-
	Granted	-
	Forfeited / expired	-
	Exercised	-
	Outstanding as of March 31, 2014	-

Supplemental_disclosure_of_cas

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Supplemental Cash Flow Elements [Abstract]	'
Cash Flow Supplemental Disclosures [Text Block]	'
	Note 13 - Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
	Interest paid, net of capitalized, amounted to $5.7 million and $3.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
	The Company paid income tax amounted to $0.01 million and $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company had receivables of $0.01 million and $1.0 million, respectively, as a result of the disposal of equipment that has not been collected.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company used $1.0 million $4.1 million inventory, respectively, in plant and equipment constructions.
	The Company had $47.7 million notes receivable from financing sales loans to be converted to cash as of March 31, 2014.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company incurred $23.4 million accounts payable to be paid for the purchase of equipment and construction in progress.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, one of the Company’s unconsolidated entities declared dividend and the Company was entitled for the dividend amounted to $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively, which was not yet collected.
	During the three months ended March 31, 2013, the Company converted $0.5 million of equipment into inventory productions.

Deferred_lease_income

Deferred lease income	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Deferred Revenue [Abstract]	'
Deferred Revenue Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 14 - Deferred lease income
	To compensate the Company for costs and economic losses incurred during construction of the iron and steel making facilities owned by Shaanxi Steel, Shaanxi Steel reimbursed Longmen Joint Venture $11.4 million (RMB 70.1 million) in the fourth quarter of 2010 for the value of assets dismantled and rent under a 40-year property sub-lease that was entered into by the parties in June 2009 (the "Longmen Sub-lease"), and $29.7 million (RMB 183.1 million) for the reduced production efficiency caused by the construction. In addition, in 2010 and 2011, Shaanxi Steel reimbursed Longmen Joint Venture $14.5 million (RMB 89.5 million) and $14.5 million (RMB 89.3 million), respectively, for trial production costs related to the new equipment.
	During the period from June 2010 to March 2011, as construction progressed and certain of the assets came online, Longmen Joint Venture used the assets free of charge to produce saleable units of steel products during this period. As such, the cost of using these assets and therefore the fair value of the free rent received was imputed with reference to what the depreciation charge would have been on these assets had they been owned or under capital lease to Longmen Joint Venture during the free use period. This cost of $7.1 million (RMB 43.9 million) each year were deferred and will be recognized over the term of the land sub-lease similar to the other charges and credits related to the construction of these assets.
	The deferred lease income is amortized to income over the remaining term of the 40-year land sub-lease. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the balance of deferred lease income amounted to $76.2 million and $77.4 million, respectively, of which $2.2 million and $2.2 million represents balance to be amortized within one year. See Note 20 – Related party transactions and balances (m) – Deferred lease income for details.

Capital_lease_obligations

Capital lease obligations	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Leases, Capital [Abstract]	'
Capital Leases in Financial Statements of Lessee Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 15 - Capital lease obligations
	Iron and steel production facilities
	On April 29, 2011, the Company’s subsidiary, Longmen Joint Venture entered into a Unified Management Agreement with Shaanxi Steel and Shaanxi Coal under which Longmen Joint Venture uses new iron and steel making facilities including one sintering machine, two converters, two blast furnaces and other auxiliary systems constructed by Shaanxi Steel. As the 20-year term of the agreement exceeds 75% of the assets’ useful lives, this arrangement is accounted for as a capital lease. The ongoing lease payments are comprised of two elements: (1) a monthly payment based on Shaanxi Steel’s cost to construct the assets of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million) to be paid over the term of the Unified Management Agreement of 20 years and (2) 40% of any remaining pre-tax profits from the Asset Pool which includes Longmen Joint Venture and the newly constructed iron and steel making facilities. In February 2014, Shaanxi Steel agreed that it will not demand capital lease payment from Longmen Joint Venture until February 2017. The profit sharing component does not meet the definition of contingent rent because it is based on future revenue and is therefore considered part of the financing for the capital leased assets which is related to the Unified Management Agreement. For purposes of determining the value of the leased asset and obligation at the inception of the lease, the lease liability is then reduced by the value of the profit sharing component, which is recognized as a derivative liability, which is carried at fair value. See Note 16 – “Profit sharing liability”.
	Energy-saving equipment
	During 2013, the Company’s subsidiary, Longmen Joint Venture, entered into capital lease agreements for energy-saving equipment to be installed throughout the production chain. Under these agreements, Longmen Joint Venture uses the energy-saving equipment for which the vendors are responsible for the design, purchase, installation, and on-site testing, as well as the ownership rights to the equipment during the lease periods. The lease periods, which vary between four to six years, begin upon the completion of the equipment installation, testing, and the issuance of the energy-saving rate reports to be agreed upon by both the vendors and Longmen Joint Venture. As the ownership rights of the equipment transfer to Longmen Joint Venture at the end of the lease periods, these agreements are accounted for as capital leases.
	The minimum lease payments are based on the energy cost saved during the lease periods, which is determined by the estimated annual equipment operating hours per the lease agreements. If the actual annual equipment operating hours are less than the estimated amount, the lease periods may be extended, subject to further negotiation and agreement between the Company and the vendors. If the actual annual equipment operating hours exceed the estimated amount, the Company is obligated to pay the additional lease payment based on the additional energy cost saved during the lease period and recognize the additional lease payments as contingent rent expense. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, no contingent rent expense has incurred under these lease agreements.
	Presented below is a schedule of estimated minimum lease payments on the capital lease obligation for the next five years as of March 31, 2014:
	Year ending March 31,	Capital Lease Obligations
		Minimum Lease Payments
		(in thousands)
	2015	$	5,755
	2016		4,211
	2017		172,982
	2018		31,906
	2019		30,345
	Thereafter		345,697
	Total minimum lease payments		590,896
	Less: amounts representing interest		-210,097
	Ending balance	$	380,799
	Interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 on the capital lease obligations was $5.4 million and $5.1 million, respectively.

Profit_sharing_liability

Profit sharing liability	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Profit Sharing Liability [Abstract]	'
Profit Sharing Liability [Text Block]	'
	Note 16 – Profit sharing liability
	The profit sharing liability component of the capital lease obligation was recognized initially at its estimated fair value at the lease commencement date and included in the initial measurement and recognition of the capital lease, in addition to the fixed payment component of the minimum lease payments. The profit sharing liability is accounted for separately from the fixed portion of the capital lease obligation (see Note 15 - “Capital lease obligation”) and is accounted for as a derivative instrument in accordance with ASC 815-10-15-83. The estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability is reassessed at the end of each reporting period, with any change in fair value charged or credited to income as “Change in Fair Value of Profit Sharing Liability”. See Note 2(h) – “Financial instruments” for details.
	Payments to Shaanxi Steel for the profit sharing liability are not required until net cumulative profits are achieved. Based on the performance of the Asset Pool, no profit sharing payment was made during the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

Other_income_expense

Other income (expense)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]	'
Other Income and Other Expense Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 17 – Other income (expense)
	Lease income
	The deferred lease income from the reimbursement from Shaanxi Steel for the net book value of the fixed assets that were demolished and for the inefficiency costs caused by the construction and loss incurred in the beginning stages of the system production is amortized to income over the remaining sub-lease term. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized lease income of $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively.

Taxes

Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Tax Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 18 – Taxes
	Income tax
	Significant components of the provision for income taxes on earnings and deferred taxes on net operating losses from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:
	(In thousands)	The three months ended		The three months ended
		March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
	Current	$	5	$	71
	Deferred		-		-
	Total provision for income taxes	$	5	$	71
	Under the Income Tax Laws of the PRC, General Steel (China), Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture (located in Inner Mongolia province), Maoming Hengda (located in Guangdong province) and Tianwu Joint Venture (located in Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone) are subject to income tax at a rate of 25%.
	Longmen Joint Venture is located in the Mid-West region of China and as such, qualifies for the “Go-West” tax rate of 15% promulgated by the government. In 2010, the Chinese government announced that the “Go-West” tax initiative would be extended for 10 years, and thus, the preferential tax rate of 15% will be in effect until 2020. This special tax treatment for Longmen Joint Venture will be evaluated on a year-to-year basis by the local tax bureau.
	Deferred taxes assets – China
	According to Chinese tax regulations, net operating losses can be carried forward to offset operating income for the next five years. The Group’s losses carried forward of $533.0 million will begin to expire in 2015. The Chinese government recently announced several policies to curb the real estate price increases across the country which led to a slowdown in demand for construction steel products. Additionally due to the continued global economic slowdown and the overcapacity issues in China's steel market, management expected there would be a sustained increase in margin pressure in the next five years until all the existing but outdated steel capacity across the whole industry are eliminated. Management took into consideration this potential negative impact on average selling price and gross margin of its products, re-performed an operating forecast for the next five years and concluded that the beginning-of-the-year balance of deferred tax assets mainly relating to the net operating loss carry forward may not be fully realizable due to the reduction in the projection of income to be available in the next 5 years. Management therefore decided to provide 100% valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets. The valuation allowance as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was $100.7 million and $97.6 million, respectively. Management will review this valuation allowance periodically and make adjustments as warranted. Temporary differences represent tax and book differences in various items, such as receivable allowances, inventory allowances, impairments on fixed assets and deferred lease income.
	Movement of valuation allowance:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	97,569	$	72,891
	Current period addition		4,129		23,293
	Current period reversal		-155		-1,206
	Deconsolidation of Tongxing		-		-
	Exchange difference		-865		2,591
	Ending balance	$	100,678	$	97,569
	Deferred taxes assets – U.S.
	General Steel Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in the United States and has incurred net operating losses for income tax purposes for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The net operating loss carry forwards for United States income taxes amounted to $2.3 million, which may be available to reduce future years’ taxable income. These carry forwards will expire, if not utilized, starting from 2026 through 2033. Management believes that the realization of the benefits from these losses appears uncertain due to the Company’s limited operating history and continuing losses for United States income tax purposes. Accordingly, the Company has provided a 100% valuation allowance on the deferred tax asset benefit to reduce the asset to zero. The valuation allowance as of March 31, 2014 was $0.8 million. The net change in the valuation allowance for the three months ended March 31, 2014 was $0.1 million. Management will review this valuation allowance periodically and make adjustments as warranted.
	The Company has no cumulative proportionate retained earnings from profitable subsidiaries as of March 31, 2014. Accordingly, no provision has been made for U.S. deferred taxes related to future repatriation of these earnings, nor is it practicable to estimate the amount of income taxes that would have to be provided if we concluded that such earnings will be remitted in the future.
	Value added tax
	Enterprises or individuals who sell commodities, engage in repair and maintenance or import and export goods in the PRC are subject to a value added tax in accordance with PRC laws. The value added tax (“VAT”) standard rates are 13% to 17% of the gross sales price. A credit is available whereby VAT paid on the purchases of semi-finished products or raw materials used in the production of the Company’s finished products can be used to offset the VAT due on sales of the finished product. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company had $12.1 million and $3.5 million in value added tax credit which are available to offset future VAT payables, respectively.
	Sales and purchases are recorded net of VAT collected and paid as the Company acts as an agent for the government for VAT collection. VAT on sales and VAT on purchases amounted to $152.9 million and $151.9 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and $183.2 million and $183.8 million, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2013.
	Taxes payable consisted of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	VAT taxes payable	$	4,472	$	2,211
	Income taxes payable		164		173
	Misc. taxes		2,640		2,244
	Totals	$	7,276	$	4,628

Income_loss_per_share

Income (loss) per share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Earnings Per Share [Text Block]	'
	Note 19 – Income (loss) per share
	The computation of income (loss) per share is as follows:
	(in thousands, except per share data)	The three months		The three months
		ended March 31, 2014		ended March 31, 2013
	Income (loss) attributable to holders of common stock	$	-43,564	$	3,103
	Basic and diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding		55,813		54,805
	Earnings (loss) per share
	Basic and diluted	$	-0.78	$	0.06
	The Company had warrants exercisable for 0 and 3,900,871 shares of the Company’s common stock at March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, all outstanding warrants were excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculation since they are anti-dilutive.
	Other than the aforementioned potentially dilutive securities, there were no other potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.

Related_party_transactions_and

Related party transactions and balances	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]	'
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 20 – Related party transactions and balances
	Related party transactions
	a.	Capital lease
	As disclosed in Notes 15 – “Capital lease obligations”, Longmen Joint Venture entered into a capital lease arrangement on April 29, 2011, with Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel, which are related parties of the Group. The following is an analysis of the leased assets under the capital lease:
			March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
			(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Machinery		$	600,658		$	605,839
	Less: accumulated depreciation			-83,216			-76,740
	Carrying value of leased assets		$	517,442		$	529,099
	b. The following chart summarized sales to related parties for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.
	Name of related parties		Relationship		Three months ended			Three months ended
					March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
					(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	44,800		$	80,675
	Sichuan Yutai Trading Co., Ltd		Significant influence by Long Steel Group*			-			72
	Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd		Significant influence by Long Steel Group			-			14,435
	Shaanxi Haiyan Trade Co., Ltd		Significant influence by Long Steel Group			15			10,592
	Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd		Significant influence by Long Steel Group			20,736			18,286
	Shaanxi Steel		Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			471			963
	Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd.		Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			4,969			1,834
	Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd		Subsidiary of Long Steel Group			6,618			1,999
	Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd		Investee of Long Steel Group			4,597			20,004
	Total				$	82,206		$	148,860
	Sales to related parties in trading transactions, which were netted against the corresponding cost of goods sold, amounted to $33.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014. See Note 2(m) Revenue Recognition for details.
	*Long Steel Group has the ability to significantly influence the operating and financial decisions of the entity through equity ownership either directly or through key employees, commercial contractual terms, or the ability to assign management personnel.
	c. The following charts summarize purchases from related parties for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.
	Name of related parties		Relationship		Three months ended			Three months ended
					March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
					(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	151,772		$	104,493
	Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd		Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group			44,088			63,798
	Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd		Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group			904			11,755
	Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd		Subsidiary of Long Steel Group			-			53
	Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd		Investee of Long Steel Group			-			210
	Shaanxi Huafu New Energy Co., Ltd		Significant influence by the Long Steel Group			6,660			9,529
	Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd.		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary			-			3,477
	Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.		Investee of General Steel (China)			23,339			-
	Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			4,275			-
	Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			27,919			-
	Others		Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			47			70
	Total				$	259,004		$	193,385
	Related party balances
		a.	Loans receivable – related parties:
	Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
					(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding**			4,540			4,540
	Total				$	4,540		$	4,540
	**The CEO is referred to herein as the chief executive officer of General Steel Holdings, Inc.
	See Note 3 – loans receivable – related parties for loan details.
		b.	Accounts receivables – related parties:
	Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
					(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	2,633		$	548
	Tianjin Daqiuzhuang Steel Plates		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			19			19
	Shaanxi Steel		Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			1,816			1,741
	Others					6			634
	Total				$	4,474		$	2,942
		c.	Other receivables – related parties:
	Other receivables - related parties are those nontrade receivables arising from transactions between the Company and its related parties, such as advances or payments made on behalf of these related parties.
	Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
					(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	702		$	406
	Shaanxi Steel		Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			47,238			46,439
Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			1,237			1,247
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co, Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			484			491
Beijing Shenhua Xinyuan Metal Materials Co., Ltd.		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			4,859			4,901
Victory Energy Resource Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			2,531			-
Others		Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			803			622
Total				$	57,854		$	54,106
	d.	Advances on inventory purchase – related parties:
Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	-		$	9,123
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd.		Significant influence by Long Steel Group			-			25,607
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			26,049			10,343
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			60,849			16,158
Tianjin General Qiugang Pipe Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			30,018			555
Maoming Shengze Trading Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			-			21,197
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.		Investee of General Steel (China)			3,490			-
Others		Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			20			20
Total				$	120,426		$	83,003
e.	Accounts payable - related parties:
Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	71,047		$	58,163
Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			176,347			134,758
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd.		Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			21,814			29,990
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			7,528			958
Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd		Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group			4,429			8,714
Henan Xinmi Kanghua Fire Refractory Co., Ltd		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary			641			716
Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary			36			1,004
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.		Investee of General Steel (China)			-			759
Others		Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			696			630
Total				$	282,540		$	235,692
	f.	Short-term loans - related parties:
Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Shaanxi Steel		Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group		$	73,035		$	49,110
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd		Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			22,169			28,216
Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			-			33,183
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			8,431			8,178
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			-			6,548
Yangpu Capital Automobile		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			1,445			1,458
Total				$	105,080		$	126,693
See Note 9 – Debt for the loan details.
	g.	Current maturities of long-term loans – related parties
Name of related party		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Shaanxi Steel		Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group		$	57,428		$	53,013
Total				$	57,428		$	53,013
	h.	Other payables – related parties:
Other payables – related parties are those nontrade payables arising from transactions between the Company and its related parties, such as advances or payments from these related parties on behalf of the Group.
Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31,			December 31,
				2014			2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co, Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding		$	377		$	380
Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			31,861			43,636
Shaanxi Steel		Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			43,983			44,363
Wendlar Investment & Management Group Co., Ltd		Common control under CEO			900			895
Yangpu Capital Automobile		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			325			291
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			469			473
Maoming Shengze Trading Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			2,248			1,745
Victory Energy Resource Co., Ltd		Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			-			1,375
Others		Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			531			921
Total				$	80,694		$	94,079
	i.	Customer deposits – related parties:
Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd		Significant influence by Long Steel Group		$	10		$	10
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd		Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			1,967			-
Long Steel Group		Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			20,978			15,038
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd		Investee of Long Steel Group			4,065			2,748
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd		Significant influence by Long Steel Group			-			275
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.		Investee of General Steel (China)			118,346			46,521
Others		Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			-			289
Total				$	145,366		$	64,881
	j.	Deposits due to sales representatives – related parties
Name of related parties		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Gansu Yulong Trading Co., Ltd.		Significant influence by Long Steel Group		$	1,396		$	1,408
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd		Significant influence by Long Steel Group			584			589
Total				$	1,980		$	1,997
	k.	Long-term loans – related party:
Name of related party		Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Shaanxi Steel		Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group		$	14,607		$	19,644
Total				$	14,607		$	19,644
The Company also provided guarantee on related parties’ bank loans amounting to $190.1 million and $205.8 million as of March 31, 2014 and as of December 31, 2013, respectively.
	l.	Deferred lease income
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
Beginning balance		$	77, 444		$	77,199
Less: Lease income realized			-546			-2,158
Exchange rate effect			-658			2,403
Ending balance			76,240			77,444
Current portion			-2,168			-2,187
Noncurrent portion		$	74,072		$	75,257
For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company realized lease income from Shaanxi Steel, a related party, amounted to $0.5 million and $0.5 million, respectively.
	m.	Equity
On November 19, 2013, the Company sold its 28% equity interest of Tianwu held by Yangpu Shengtong to Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd., a related party through indirect common ownership by the CEO, for $13.6 million (RMB 84.3 million) while retaining the 32% interest held by General Steel (China). As a result of this transaction, the Company met the criteria under ASC 810-10-40-4 to deconsolidate Tianwu as of the ownership disposal date and recognize a gain, which amounted to $1.0 million. After the deconsolidation of Tianwu, General Steel (China)’s 32% interest in Tianwu was accounted for as an equity method investment, which amounted to $15.6 million and $15.8 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively.

Equity

Equity	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Equity [Abstract]	'
Stockholders' Equity Note Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 21 – Equity
	2014 Equity Transactions
	On February 3, 2014, the Company granted 80,000 shares of common stock at $1.01 per share as service fees for investor relations consulting services under two service agreements dated January 14, 2014. The shares were valued at the quoted market price on the grant date.

Retirement_plan

Retirement plan	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 22 – Retirement plan
	Regulations in the PRC require the Company to contribute to a defined contribution retirement plan for all employees. All the employees of the Company’s entities in China are entitled to a retirement pension amount calculated based upon their salary at their date of retirement and their length of service in accordance with a government managed pension plan. The PRC government is responsible for the pension liability to the retired staff. The Company’s entities in China are required to contribute based on the higher of 20% of the employees’ monthly base salary or 12% of the minimum social average salary of the city where the facilities are located. Employees are required to contribute 8% of their base salary to the plan. The minimum social average salary is announced by the local Social Security bureau and updated annually. Total pension expense incurred by the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 amounted to $2.8 million and $2.2 million, respectively.

Statutory_reserves

Statutory reserves	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Statutory Reserves [Abstract]	'
Statutory Reserves [Text Block]	'
	Note 23 – Statutory reserves
	The laws and regulations of the People’s Republic of China require that before a foreign -invested enterprise distributes profits to its shareholders, it must first satisfy all tax liabilities, provision for losses in previous years, and make allocations, in proportions determined at the discretion of the board of directors, to the statutory reserves. The statutory reserves include the surplus reserve funds and the enterprise fund and these statutory reserves represent restricted retained earnings.
	Surplus reserve fund
	The Company is required to transfer 10% of its net income, as determined in accordance with the PRC accounting rules and regulations, to a statutory surplus reserve fund until such reserve balance reaches 50% of the Company’s registered capital.
	The transfer to this reserve must be made before distribution of any dividend to shareholders. The surplus reserve fund is non-distributable other than during liquidation and can be used to fund previous years’ losses, if any, and may be utilized for business expansion or converted into share capital by issuing new shares to existing shareholders in proportion to their shareholding or by increasing the par value of the shares currently held by them, provided that the remaining reserve balance after such issue is not less than 25% of the registered capital. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company did not make any contributions to these reserves.
	Special reserve
	The Company is required by the PRC government to reserve safety and maintenance expense to the cost of production based on the actual quantity of mineral exploited.  The amount of reserves is determined within the unit price range provided by Ministry of Finance of PRC. For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company made contributions of $0.3 million and $0.2 million to these reserves, respectively and used $0.1 million and $0.1 million of safety and maintenance expense, respectively.

Commitment_and_contingencies

Commitment and contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 24 – Commitment and contingencies
	Operating Lease Commitments
	Total operating lease commitments for rental of offices, buildings, equipment and land use rights of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries as of March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	Year ending March 31,	Minimum lease payment
		(in thousands)
	2015	$	1,243
	2016		568
	2017		568
	2018		568
	2019		568
	Years after		19,744
	Total minimum payments required	$	23,259
	Total rental expense was $0.9 million and $0.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
	Contractual Commitments
	Longmen Joint Venture has $338.2 million contractual obligations related to construction projects as of March 31, 2014 estimated to be fulfilled between May and December 2014.
	Contingencies
	As of March 31, 2014, Longmen Joint Venture provided guarantees to related parties’ and third parties’ bank loans, including lines of credit and others, amounting to $274.5 million.
	Nature of guarantee	Guarantee		Guaranty Due Date
		amount
		(In thousands)
	Line of credit	$	177,353	Various from April 2014 to August 2015
	Three-party financing agreements		4,869	Jul-14
	Confirming storage		41,549	Various from April to September 2014
	Financing by the rights of goods delivery in future		50,719	Various from April to October 2014
	Total	$	274,490
	Name of parties being guaranteed	Guarantee		Guaranty Due Date
		amount
		(In thousands)
	Long Steel Group	$	55,182	Various from September 2014 to August 2015
	Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd		44,795	Various from April to December 2014
	Shaanxi Xingyuan Materials Co., Ltd.		2,435	Jul-14
	Long Steel Group Fuping Rolling Steel Co., Ltd		6,938	Various from April to June 2014
	Shaanxi Tianyi Metal Materials Co., Ltd		6,492	Dec-14
	Xi’an Laisheng Logistics Co., Ltd		11,767	Various from May to August 2014
	Xi'an Kaiyuan Steel Sales Co., Ltd		6,492	Jan-15
	Shaanxi Anlin Logistics Co., Ltd		6,492	Apr-14
	Shaanxi Longan Industry Co., Ltd.		8,115	Dec-14
	Hancheng Sanli Furnace Burden Co., Ltd.		16,230	Mar-15
	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd		44,633	Various from June 2014 to March 2015
	Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd		40,575	Various from July 2014 to January 2015
	Tianjin Qiu Steel Pipe Industry Co., Ltd		4,869	Apr-14
	Jinmen Desheng Metallurgy Co., Ltd		19,475	Various from August to September 2014
	Total	$	274,490
	As of March 31, 2014, the Company did not accrue any liability for the amounts the Group has guaranteed for third and related parties because those parties are current in their payment obligations and the Company has not experienced any losses from providing guarantees. The Company has evaluated the debt guarantees and concluded that the likelihood of having to make payments under the guarantees is remote and that the fair value of the stand-ready obligation under these commitments is not material.

Segments

Segments	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Segment Reporting Disclosure [Text Block]	'
	Note 25 – Segments
	The Company’s chief operating decision maker evaluates performance and determines resource allocations based on a number of factors, the primary measure being income from operations of the Group’s four regional divisions in the PRC: Longmen Joint Venture in Shaanxi province, Maoming Hengda in Guangdong province, Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture in Inner Mongolia province and General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture in Tianjin City.
	The Group operates in one business segment that includes four different divisions. These reportable divisions are consistent with the way the Company manages its business, each division operates under separate management groups and produces discrete financial information. The accounting principles applied at the operating division level in determining income from operations is generally the same as those applied at the consolidated financial statement level.
	The following represents results of division operations for three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013:
	(In thousands)
	Sales:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	594,014	$	646,748
	Maoming Hengda			36		1,523
	Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture			162		9
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			53		48,726
	Total sales			594,265		697,006
	Interdivision sales			-54		-45,715
	Consolidated sales		$	594,211	$	651,291
	Gross profit (loss):		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	-22,219	$	4,367
	Maoming Hengda			24		-228
	Baotou Steel			-23		-78
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			-343		6
	Total gross profit (loss)			-22,561		4,067
	Interdivision gross profit			-		-
	Consolidated gross profit (loss)		$	-22,561	$	4,067
	Income (loss) from operations:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	-39,294	$	34,937
	Maoming Hengda			-522		-797
	Baotou Steel			-44		-361
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			-2,566		-808
	Total income (loss) from operations			-42,426		32,971
	Interdivision income (loss) from operations			-		-
	Reconciling item (1)			-1,237		-1,080
	Consolidated income (loss) from operations		$	-43,663	$	31,891
	Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	-38,034	$	8,325
	Maoming Hengda			-537		-771
	Baotou Steel			-35		-289
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			-3,843		-3,156
	Total net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.			-42,449		4,109
	Interdivision net income			-		-
	Reconciling item (1)			-1,115		-1,006
	Consolidated net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.		$	-43,564	$	3,103
	Depreciation, amortization and depletion:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	23,530	$	20,431
	Maoming Hengda			304		311
	Baotou Steel			62		97
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			450		519
	Consolidated depreciation, amortization and depletion		$	24,346	$	21,358
	Finance/interest expenses:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	26,990	$	22,150
	Maoming Hengda					-
	Baotou Steel			1		-
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			1,609		2,706
	Interdivision interest expenses			-		-
	Reconciling item (1)			95		1
	Consolidated interest expenses		$	28,695	$	24,857
	Capital expenditures:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	56,747	$	24,083
	Maoming Hengda			32		2
	Baotou Steel			-		7
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			82		1
	Reconciling item (1)			-		-
	Consolidated capital expenditures		$	56,861	$	24,093
	Total Assets as of:		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	2,512,090	$	2,573,212
	Maoming Hengda			28,278		29,211
Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture			4,122		4,448
General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			182,641		121,883
Interdivision assets			-33,930		-34,213
Reconciling item (2)			8,311		5,817
Total Assets		$	2,701,512	$	2,700,358
	-1	Reconciling item represents the unallocated income or expenses of the Company, arising from General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.
	-2	Reconciling item represents assets held at General Steel Holdings, Inc., General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Summary_of_significant_account1

Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

'

Basis of Accounting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(a)

Basis of presentation

The consolidated financial statements of the Company reflect the activities of the following major directly owned subsidiaries:

Subsidiary

Percentage

of Ownership

General Steel Investment Co., Ltd.

British Virgin Islands

100

%

General Steel (China) Co., Ltd. (“General Steel (China)”)

PRC

100

%

Baotou Steel – General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Co., Ltd.

PRC

80

%

Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd. (“Yangpu Shengtong”)

PRC

99.1

%

Tianjin Qiu Steel Investment Co., Ltd. (“Qiu Steel”)

PRC

98.7

%

Longmen Joint Venture

PRC

VIE/60.0

%

Maoming Hengda Steel Company, Ltd. (“Maoming Hengda”)

PRC

99

%

Tianwu

Prior to November 19, 2013, the Company held a 60.0% equity interest in Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. (“Tianwu”). 32% interest was held by General Steel (China) and 28% interest was held by Yangpu Shengtong. On November 19, 2013, the Company sold its 28% equity interest of Tianwu held by Yangpu Shengtong to Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd., a related party through indirect common ownership, for $13.6 million (RMB 84.3 million) while retaining 32% interest held by General Steel (China). Tianwu is in the process of registering the ownership change with the local State Administration for Industry and Commerce (“SAIC”) office. As a result of this transaction, the Company met the criteria under ASC 810-10-40-4 to deconsolidate Tianwu at disposal date and recognized a gain in accordance with ASC 810-10-40-5. At the same time, General Steel (China)’s remaining 32% interest is accounted for as an investment in unconsolidated subsidiaries using the equity method. See Note 2(t) - Investments in unconsolidated entities for details.

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(b)

Principles of consolidation – subsidiaries

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, its variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which the Company is the ultimate primary beneficiary, and the VIE’s subsidiaries.

Subsidiaries are those entities in which the Company, directly or indirectly, controls more than one half of the voting power; or has the power to govern the financial and operating policies, to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the board of directors, or to cast a majority of votes at the meeting of directors.

A VIE is an entity in which the Company, or its subsidiary, through contractual arrangements, bears the risks of, and enjoys the rewards normally associated with ownership of the entity, and therefore the Company or its subsidiary is the primary beneficiary of the entity.

All significant inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Consolidation, Variable Interest Entity, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(c)

Consolidation of VIE

Prior to entering into the Unified Management Agreement on April 29, 2011, Longmen Joint Venture had been consolidated as the Company’s 60% direct owned subsidiary. Upon entering into the Unified Management Agreement on April 29, 2011, Longmen Joint Venture was re-evaluated by the Company to determine if Longmen Joint Venture is a VIE and if the Company is the primary beneficiary.

Based on projected profits in this entity and future operating plans, Longmen Joint Venture ’s equity at risk is considered insufficient to finance its activities and therefore Longmen Joint Venture is considered to be a VIE.

The Company would be considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE if it has both of the following characteristics:

a.

The power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance; and

b.

The obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE.

A Supervisory Committee was formed during the negotiation of the Unified Management Agreement. Given there is both a Supervisory Committee and a Board with respect to Longmen Joint Venture , the powers (rights and roles) of both bodies were considered to determine which party has the power to direct the activities of Longmen Joint Venture , and by extension, whether the Company continues to have the power to direct Longmen Joint Venture ’s activities after this Supervisory Committee was formed and the significant investment in plant and equipment by owners of the Longmen Joint Venture partner. The Supervisory Committee, in which the Company holds 2 out of 4 seats, requires a ¾ majority vote, while the Board, which the Company holds 4 out of 7 seats, requires a simple majority vote. As the Supervisory Committee’s role is limited to supervising and monitoring management of Longmen Joint Venture and in the event there is any disagreement between the Board and the Supervisory Committee, the Board prevails, the Supervisory Committee is considered subordinate to the Board. Thus, the Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. The Company, which controls 60% of the voting rights of the Board of Directors, has control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture and as such, has the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact Longmen Joint Venture ’s economic performance.

In connection with the Unified Management Agreement, the Company, Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel may provide such support on a discretionary basis or as needed in the future. See Note 2 item (d) Liquidity.

The Company has the obligation to absorb losses and the rights to receive benefits based on the profit allocation as stipulated by the Unified Management Agreement that are significant to the VIE. As both conditions are met, the Company is the primary beneficiary of Longmen Joint Venture and therefore, continues to consolidate Longmen Joint Venture as a VIE.

The Company believes that the Unified Management Agreement between Longmen Joint Venture and Shaanxi Coal is in compliance with PRC law and is legally enforceable. The Board of Directors of Longmen Joint Venture continues to be the controlling decision-making body with respect to Longmen Joint Venture. The Company, which controls 60% of the voting rights of the Board of Directors, has control over the operations of Longmen Joint Venture and as such, has the power to direct the activities of the VIE. However, PRC law and/or uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Company’s ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement, which in turn, may lead to reconsideration of the VIE assessment and the potential for a different conclusion. If the Unified Management Agreement cannot be enforced, the Company would not consolidate Longmen Joint Venture as a VIE. However, the current PRC legal system has not limited the Company’s ability to enforce the Unified Management Agreement nor does the Company believe it is likely to do so in the future. The Company makes ongoing assessment to determine whether Longmen Joint Venture is a VIE.

The carrying amount of the VIE and its subsidiaries’ consolidated assets and liabilities are as follows:

March 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Current assets

$

1,174,775

$

1,282,054

Plant and equipment, net

1,260,199

1,262,144

Other noncurrent assets

77,116

29,014

Total assets

2,512,090

2,573,212

Total liabilities

-3,039,135

-3,040,879

Net liabilities

$

-527,045

$

-467,667

VIE and its subsidiaries’ liabilities consist of the following:

March 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Current liabilities:

Short term notes payable

$

937,389

$

988,364

Accounts payable

479,154

393,816

Accounts payable - related parties

281,899

235,116

Short term loans - bank

189,219

267,688

Short term loans - others

42,525

55,844

Short term loans - related parties

103,635

125,236

Current maturities of long-term loans – related party

56,130

56,614

Other payables and accrued liabilities

51,991

37,028

Other payables - related parties

76,370

88,914

Customer deposits

106,959

87,661

Customer deposits - related parties

27,020

18,359

Deposit due to sales representatives

23,713

24,343

Deposit due to sales representatives – related parties

1,980

1,997

Taxes payable

6,013

3,357

Deferred lease income

2,168

2,187

Capital lease obligations, current

4,774

4,321

Intercompany payable to be eliminated

21,237

21,420

Total current liabilities

2,412,176

2,412,265

Non-current liabilities:

Long term loans - related parties

15,906

16,043

Deferred lease income - noncurrent

74,072

75,257

Capital lease obligations, noncurrent

376,025

375,019

Profit sharing liability

160,956

162,295

Total non-current liabilities

626,959

628,614

Total liabilities of consolidated VIE

$

3,039,135

$

3,040,879

Three months ended

Three months ended

March 31, 2014

March 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Sales

$

594,014

$

646,748

Gross (loss) profit

$

-22,219

$

4,367

Income (loss) from operations

$

-39,294

$

34,937

Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest

$

-38,034

$

8,325

Longmen Joint Venture has two 100% owned subsidiaries, Yuxin Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuxin”) and Yuteng Trading Co., Ltd. (“Yuteng”). Longmen Joint Venture has two consolidated subsidiaries, Hualong and Huatianyulong, in which it does not hold a controlling interest. Hualong and Huatianyulong are separate legal entities which were established in the PRC as limited liability companies and subsequently invested in by Longmen Joint Venture in June 2007 and July 2008, respectively. However, these two entities do not meet the definition of variable interest entities. Further consideration was given to whether consolidation was appropriate under the voting interest model, specifically where the power of control may exist with a lesser percentage of ownership (i.e. less than 50%), for example, by contract, lease, agreement with other stockholders or by court decree.

Hualong

Longmen Joint Venture, the single largest shareholder, holds a 36.0% equity interest in Hualong. The other two shareholders, who own 34.67% and 29.33% respectively, assigned their voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of the acquisition of Hualong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Hualong ceases its business operations or the other two shareholders sell their interest in Hualong. Hualong’s main business is to supply refractory. The assets, liabilities and the operating results of Hualong are immaterial to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Huatianyulong

Longmen Joint Venture holds a 50.0% equity interest in Huatianyulong and the other unrelated shareholder holds the remaining 50.0%. The other shareholder assigned its voting rights to Longmen Joint Venture in writing at the time of acquisition of Huatianyulong. The voting rights have been assigned through the date Huatianyulong ceases its business operation or the other unrelated shareholder sells its interest in Huatianyulong. Huatianyulong mainly sells imported iron ore. The assets, liabilities and the operating results of Huatianyulong are immaterial to the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

The Company has determined that it is appropriate for Longmen Joint Venture to consolidate Hualong and Huatianyulong with appropriate recognition in the Company’s financial statements of the non-controlling interests in each entity, beginning on the acquisition dates as these were also the effective dates of the agreements with other stockholders granting a majority voting rights in each entity, and thereby, the power of control, to Longmen Joint Venture.

Liquidity Disclosure [Policy Text Block]

'

(d)

Liquidity

The Company’s accounts have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP on a going concern basis. The going concern basis assumes that assets are realized and liabilities are extinguished in the ordinary course of business at amounts disclosed in the financial statements. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern depends upon aligning its sources of funding (debt and equity) with the expenditure requirements of the Company and repayment of the short-term debt facilities as and when they fall due.

The steel business is capital intensive and as a normal industry practice in PRC, the Company is highly leveraged. Debt financing in the form of short term bank loans, loans from related parties, financing sales, bank acceptance notes, and capital leases have been utilized to finance the working capital requirements and the capital expenditures of the Company. As a result, the Company’s debt to equity ratio as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were (5.8) and (6.5), respectively. As of March 31, 2014, the Company’s current liabilities exceed current assets (excluding non-cash item) by $1.3 billion.

Longmen Joint Venture, as the most important entity of the Company, accounted for majority of total sales of the Company. As such, the majority of the Company’s working capital needs come from Longmen Joint Venture. The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern depends heavily on Longmen Joint Venture’s operations. Longmen Joint Venture has obtained different types of financial supports, which are listed below by category:

Line of credit

The Company received lines of credit from the listed major banks totaling $229.0 million with expiration dates ranging from March 23, 2015 to July 17, 2015.

Banks

Amount of

Repayment Date

Line of Credit

(in millions)

Bank of Chongqing

48.7

March 23, 2015*

Industrial Bank Co., Ltd.

48.7

5-May-15

China Merchant Bank

48.7

19-May-15

China CITIC Bank

32.5

16-Jun-15

Bank of Communication

17.9

17-Jul-15

Bank of Jinzhou

32.5

March 23, 2015*

Total

$

229

*Management expects the lines of credit will be extended after the repayment dates.

As of the date of this report, the Company utilized $181.0 million of these lines of credit.

Vendor financing

Longmen Joint Venture signed additional vendor financing agreements, which will provide liquidity to the Company in a total amount of $811.5 million with the following companies:

Company

Financing period covered

Financing Amount

(in millions)

Company A – related party

July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015

$

162.3

Company B – third party

January 22, 2014 – January 22, 2017

162.3

Company C – third party

October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2015

486.9

Total

$

811.5

Company A, a related party company and Company B, a third party company, are both Longmen Joint Venture’s major coke suppliers. They have been doing business with Longmen Joint Venture for years. On January 6, 2013, Company A signed a two-year agreement with Longmen Joint Venture to finance its coke purchase up to $81.9 million. On July 1, 2013, Company A agreed to increase the financing amount to $162.3 million and extend the financing period to June 30, 2015. Company B signed a two-year agreement with Longmen Joint Venture on November 7, 2013 to finance its coke purchase up to $162.3 million and agreed to extend the financing period for another three years effective on January 22, 2014. According to the above signed agreements, both Company A and B will not demand any cash payments during their respective financing periods. As of the date of this report, our payables to Company A and Company B were approximately $67.2 million and $94.9 million, respectively.

Company C is a Fortune 500 Company. On June 28, 2013, Company C signed an agreement with Longmen Joint Venture to finance Longmen Joint Venture’s purchase of iron ore for an amount up to $486.9 million to commence on October 1, 2013 and end on March 31, 2015. Subject to the terms of the agreement, Longmen Joint Venture is subject to a penalty of 0.05% of the daily outstanding balance owed to Company C in an event of late payment. As of the date of this report, our payable to Company C is approximately $5.8 million.

Other financing

On February 20, 2014, March 5, 2014, April 22, 2014 and April 23, 2014 Longmen Joint Venture signed payment extension agreements with each company listed below. In total, Longmen Joint Venture can obtain $362.0 million in financial support from two-year and three-year balancing payment extensions granted by the following five companies:

Company

Financing period covered

Financing Amount

(in millions)

Company D – related party

April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017

$

81.2

Company E – related party

April 23, 2014 – April 23, 2017

86

Company F – related party

April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017

81.2

Company G – related party

March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016

56.8

Company H – related party

March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016

56.8

Total

$

362

According to the contract terms, Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G and Company H have agreed to grant payment extensions in the amounts of $81.2 million, $86.0 million, $81.2 million, $56.8 million and $56.8 million respectively. As of the date of this report, our payables to Company D, Company E, Company F, Company G and Company H are approximately $20.3 million, $14.2 million, $16.1 million, $7.5 million and $9.6 million, respectively.

Amount due to sales representatives

Longmen Joint Venture entered into agreements with various entities to act as the Company’s exclusive sales agents in specified geographic areas.  These exclusive sales agents must meet certain criteria and are required to deposit a certain amount of money with the Company. In return, the sales agents receive exclusive sales rights in a specified area and discounted prices on products they order. These deposits bear no interest and are required to be returned to the sales agent once the agreement is terminated. As of March 31, 2014, Longmen Joint Venture has collected a total amount of $25.7 million. Historically, this amount is quite stable and we do not expect a big fluctuation in this amount for the next twelve months from March 31, 2014 onwards.

With the financial support from the banks and the companies above, management is of the opinion that the Company has sufficient funds to meet its future operations, working capital requirements and debt obligations until the end of March 31, 2015. The detailed breakdown of Longmen Joint Venture’s estimated cash flows items are listed below.

Cash inflow (outflow)

(in millions)

For the twelve months

ended March 31, 2015

Current liabilities over current assets (excluding non-cash items) as of March 31, 2014 (unaudited)

$

-1,295.40

Projected cash financing and outflows:

Cash provided by line of credit from banks

229

Cash provided by vendor financing

811.5

Cash provided by other financing

362

Cash provided by sales representatives

25.7

Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015

-29.5

Cash projected to be used for financing cost in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015

-74

Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ended March 31, 2015

$

29.3

As a result, the consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2014 have been prepared on a going concern basis.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

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(e)

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and footnotes. Significant accounting estimates reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements include the fair value of the profit sharing liability, the useful lives of and impairment for property, plant and equipment, and potential losses on uncollectible receivables, allowance for inventory valuation, the interest rate used in the financing sales, the fair value of the assets recorded under capital lease and the present value of the net minimum lease payments of the capital lease. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Concentration Risk, Credit Risk, Policy [Policy Text Block]

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(f)

Concentration of risks and uncertainties

The Company’s operations are carried out in the PRC. Accordingly, the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations may be influenced by the political, economic and legal environment in the PRC, and by the general state of the PRC’s economy. The Company’s operations in the PRC are subject to specific considerations and significant risks not typically associated with companies in North America and Western Europe. The Company’s results may be adversely affected by changes in governmental policies with respect to laws and regulations, anti-inflationary measures, currency conversion and remittance abroad, and rates and methods of taxation, among other things.

The Company has significant exposure to the price fluctuation of raw materials and energy prices as part of its normal operations. As of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Company did not have any open commodity contracts to mitigate such risks.

Cash includes demand deposits in accounts maintained with banks within the PRC, Hong Kong and the United States. Total cash (including restricted cash balances) in these banks on March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 amounted to $465.0 million and $431.3 million, including $0.4 million and $2.0 million that were deposited in Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Financial Co., Ltd., a related party, respectively. As of March 31, 2014, $0.2 million cash in the bank was covered by insurance. The Company has not experienced any losses in other bank accounts and believes it is not exposed to any risks on its cash in bank accounts.

The Company’s five major customers are all distributors and collectively represented approximately 20.4% and 20.4% of the Company’s total sales for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. None of the five major customers accounted for more than 10% of total sales for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. These five major customers accounted for 0% of total accounts receivable, including related parties, as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. None of the five major customers accounted for more than 10% of total accounts receivable as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

For the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company purchased approximately 43.9% and 32.6% of its raw materials from five major suppliers, respectively. One of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of the total purchases for the three months ended March 31, 2014, and none of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of the total purchases for the three months ended March 31, 2013. These five vendors accounted for 39.6% and 29.1% of total accounts payable, including related parties, as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. Two of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of total accounts payable as March 31, 2014, and none of the five major suppliers individually accounted for more than 10% of total accounts payable as December 31, 2013.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(g)

Foreign currency translation and other comprehensive income

The reporting currency of the Company is the U.S. dollar. The Company’s subsidiaries and VIE in China use the local currency, Renminbi (“RMB”), as their functional currency. Assets and liabilities are translated at the unified exchange rate as quoted by the People’s Bank of China at the end of the period. The statement of operations accounts are translated at the average translation rates and the equity accounts are translated at historical rates. Translation adjustments resulting from this process are included in accumulated other comprehensive income in the statement of equity. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in the results of operations as incurred.

Translation adjustments included in accumulated other comprehensive income amounted to $3.6 million and $0.7 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. The balance sheet amounts, with the exception of equity at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 were translated at 6.16 RMB and 6.11 RMB to $1.00, respectively. The equity accounts were stated at their historical rate. The average translation rates applied to statement of operations accounts for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 were 6.12 RMB and 6.28 RMB, respectively. Cash flows are also translated at average translation rates for the periods, therefore, amounts reported on the statement of cash flows will not necessarily agree with changes in the corresponding balances on the consolidated balance sheet.

The PRC government imposes significant exchange restrictions on fund transfers out of the PRC that are not related to business operations. These restrictions have not had a material impact on the Company because it has not engaged in any significant transactions that are subject to the restrictions.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

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(h)

Financial instruments

The accounting standards regarding fair value of financial instruments and related fair value measurements defines financial instruments and requires disclosure of the fair value of financial instruments held by the Company. The Company considers the carrying amount of cash, short term investment, accounts receivable, other receivables, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, to approximate their fair values because of the short period of time between the origination of such instruments and their expected realization. For short term loans and notes payable, the Company concluded the carrying values are a reasonable estimate of fair values because of the short period of time between the origination and repayment and as their stated interest rates approximate current rates available.

The Company analyzes all financial instruments with features of both liabilities and equity, pursuant to which the Company’s warrants were required to be recorded as a liability at fair value and marked to market each reporting period.

The accounting standards define fair value, establish a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosures of fair value measurement and enhance disclosure requirements for fair value measures. The three levels are defined as follow:

⋅

Level 1 inputs to the valuation methodology are quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets.

⋅

Level 2 inputs to the valuation methodology include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, and inputs that are observable for the assets or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the financial instruments.

⋅

Level 3 inputs to the valuation methodology are unobservable and significant to the fair value.

On December 13, 2007, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors for the sale of $40 million of Notes and 1,154,958 common stock warrants, initially exercisable at $13.51 per share. On December 24, 2009, the warrant holders entered into an agreement with the Company that reset the exercise price from $13.51 to $5 per share and increased the number of warrants from 1,154,958 to 3,900,871. The warrants were accounted for as derivative liabilities and recorded at their fair value, with the change in fair value charged or credited to income each period.  The warrants expired unexercised on May 13, 2013. Prior to their expiration, the fair value of the warrants was estimated using a binomial lattice model, using level 3 inputs.

Payments related to the capital lease of the Asset Pool consist of two components: (1) a fixed monthly payment of $2.3 million (RMB 14.6 million), based on Shaanxi Steel’s cost to construct the assets, to be paid for the 20 year term of the Unified Management Agreement; and (2) 40% of any remaining pre-tax profits from the Asset Pool, which includes Longmen Joint Venture and the constructed iron and steel making facilities. The aforementioned profit sharing component meets the definition of a derivative instrument under ASC 815-10-15-83 and, accordingly, the profit sharing liability is accounted for separately as a derivative liability. It was recognized initially at its estimated fair value at inception. The estimated fair value is adjusted each reporting period, with changes in the estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability charged or credited to income each period.

The Company determines the fair value of the profit sharing liability using Level 3 inputs by considering the present value of Longmen Joint Venture’s projected profits/losses with a discount rate of 7.3%, based on the Company’s average borrowing rate. The projected profits/losses in Longmen Joint Venture are based upon, but not limited to, the following assumptions:

⋅

projected selling units and growth in the steel market

⋅

projected unit selling price in the steel market

⋅

projected unit purchase cost in the coal and iron ore markets

⋅

selling and general and administrative expenses to be in line with the growth in the steel market

⋅

projected bank borrowings

⋅

interest rate index

⋅

gross nation product index

⋅

industry index

⋅

government policy

From inception to December 31, 2012, the assumptions underlying the estimated fair value did not change significantly. Beginning in the first quarter of 2013, the assumptions related to unit selling prices and costs were revised, resulting in a reduction of the estimated profit sharing liability. These assumptions were further revised during 2013. The above assumptions were again reviewed by the Company at March 31, 2014 but no major change was deemed necessary to the assumptions used at December 31, 2013. For the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company recognized a loss on the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability of $0.05 million, due to a $2.81 million reduction in the present value discount offset by a $2.76 million gain resulting from the Asset Pool’s operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2014 being slightly lower than previously estimated as of December 31, 2013.

The estimated fair value of the profit sharing liability at March 31, 2014 is $161.0 million. Changes in any of the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of the profit sharing liability will change the liability accordingly. If we were to reduce the projected bank borrowings rate used to discount the liability to a present value by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31, 2014 would have been $184.2 million and we would increase the loss from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $23.2 million. If we were to reduce the projected selling units and growth in the steel market rate by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31, 2014 would have been $158.4 million and we would increase the gain from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $1.8 million.

The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2014:

(in thousands)

Carrying Value as

Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2014

of March 31, 2014

Using Fair Value Hierarchy

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Profit sharing liability

$

160,956

$

-

$

-

$

160,956

Total

$

160,956

$

-

$

-

$

160,956

The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013:

(in thousands)

Carrying Value as

Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2013

of December 31,  2013

Using Fair Value Hierarchy

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Profit sharing liability

$

162,295

$

-

$

-

$

162,295

Total

$

162,295

$

-

$

-

$

162,295

The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and for the year ended December 31, 2013:

March 31, 2014

December 31, 2013

(in thousands)

(in thousands)

Beginning balance

$

162,295

$

328,828

Change in fair value of profit sharing liability:

Present value discount amortization

2,810

16,872

Change in estimate

-2,761

-191,441

Change in derivative liabilities-warrants

-

1

Exchange rate effect

-1,388

8,035

Ending balance

$

160,956

$

162,295

Except for the derivative liabilities related to the profit sharing liability and to the warrants issued by the Company, which expired on May 13, 2013, the Company did not identify any other assets or liabilities that are required to be presented on the balance sheet at fair value. The carrying value of the long term loans-related party approximates its fair value as of the reporting date.

Notes Receivable [Policy Text Block]

'

(i)

Notes receivable

Notes receivable represents trade accounts receivable due from various customers where the customers’ banks have guaranteed the payment. The notes are non-interest bearing and normally paid within three to six months. The Company has the ability to submit request for payment to the customer’s bank earlier than the scheduled payment date, but will incur an interest charge and a processing fee.

Restricted notes receivable represents notes receivable pledged as collateral for short-term loans and short-term notes payable issued by banks.

Interest expenses for early submission request of payment amounted to $14.1 million and $10.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(j)

Plant and equipment, net

Plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets with a 3%-5% residual value. The depreciation expense on assets acquired under capital leases is included with depreciation expense on owned assets. The estimated useful lives are as follows:

Buildings and Improvements

10-40 Years

Machinery

10-30 Years

Machinery and equipment under capital lease

10-20 Years

Other equipment

5 Years

Transportation Equipment

5 Years

The Company assesses all significant leases for purposes of classification as either operating or capital. At lease inception, if the lease meets any of the four following criteria, the Company will classify it as a capital lease; otherwise it will be treated as an operating lease: a) transfer of ownership to lessee at the end of the lease term, b) bargain purchase option, c) lease term is equal to 75% or more of the estimated economic life of the leased property, d) the present value of the minimum lease payments is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased asset.

Construction in progress represents the costs incurred in connection with the construction of buildings or new additions to the Company’s plant facilities. No depreciation is provided for construction in progress until such time as the assets are completed and are placed into service, maintenance, repairs and minor renewals are charged directly to expense as incurred. Major additions and betterment to buildings and equipment are capitalized. Interest incurred during construction is capitalized into construction in progress. All other interest is expensed as incurred.

Long lived assets, including buildings and improvements, equipment and intangible assets are reviewed if events and changes in circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable, to determine whether their carrying value has become impaired. The Company considers assets to be impaired if the carrying value exceeds the future projected cash flows from related operations. The Company also re-evaluates the periods of depreciation and amortization to determine whether subsequent events and circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(k)

Intangible assets

Finite lived intangible assets of the Company are reviewed for impairment if events and circumstances require. The Company considers assets to be impaired if the carrying value exceeds the future projected cash flows from related operations. The Company also re-evaluates the periods of amortization to determine whether subsequent events and circumstances warrant revised estimates of useful lives.  As of March 31, 2014, the Company expects these assets to be fully recoverable.

Land use rights

All land in the PRC is owned by the government. However, the government grants “land use rights.”  General Steel (China) acquired land use rights in 2001 for a total of $3.9 million (RMB 23.7 million). These land use rights are for 50 years and expire in 2050 and 2053. The Company amortizes the land use rights over the twenty-year business term because its business license had a twenty-year term.

Long Steel Group contributed land use rights for a total amount of $24.1 million (RMB 148.3 million) to the Longmen Joint Venture. The contributed land use rights are for 50 years and expire in 2048 to 2052.

Maoming Hengda has land use rights amounting to $2.7 million (RMB 16.6 million) for 50 years that expire in 2054.

Other than the land use rights that General Steel (China) acquired in 2001, the Company amortizes the land use rights over their 50 year term.

Entity

Original Cost

Expires on

(in thousands)

General Steel (China)

$

3,851

2050 & 2053

Longmen Joint Venture

$

24,075

2048 & 2052

Maoming Hengda

$

2,694

2054

Mining right

Mining rights are capitalized at cost when acquired, including amounts associated with any value beyond proven and probable reserves, and amortized to operations as depletion expense using the units-of-production method over the estimated proven and probable recoverable tons. Longmen Joint Venture has iron ore mining right amounting to $2.4 million (RMB 15.0 million), which is amortized over the estimated recoverable reserve of 4.2 million tons.

Investment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(l)

Investments in unconsolidated entities

Entities in which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but does not have a controlling interest, are accounted for using the equity method. Significant influence is generally considered to exist when the Company has an ownership interest in the voting stock between 20% and 50%, and other factors, such as representation on the Board of Directors, voting rights and the impact of commercial arrangements, are considered in determining whether the equity method of accounting is appropriate. The Company accounts for investments with ownership less than 20% using the cost method.

The table below summarizes Longmen Joint Venture’s investment holdings as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Unconsolidated entities

Year

March 31, 2014

Owned

December 31,

Owned

acquired

Net investment

%

2013

%

(In thousands)

Net investment

(In thousands)

Xi’an Delong Powder Engineering Materials Co., Ltd.

2007

$

1,042

24.1

$

1,215

24.1

The table below summarizes General Steel (China)’s investment holding (see Note 2(a) - Basis of presentation) as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Unconsolidated entities

Year

March 31, 2014

Owned

December 31,

Owned

acquired

Net investment

%

2013

%

(In thousands)

Net investment

(In thousands)

Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.

2010

$

15,593

32

$

15,728

32

Total investment income (loss) in unconsolidated subsidiaries amounted to $0.01 million and $(0.04) million for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which was included in “Income from equity investments” in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive (loss) income.

Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(m)

Revenue recognition

Sales is recognized at the date of shipment to customers when a formal arrangement exists, the price is fixed or determinable, the delivery is completed, the Company has no other significant obligations and collectability is reasonably assured. Payments received before all of the relevant criteria for revenue recognition are recorded as customer deposits. Sales represent the invoiced value of goods, net of value-added tax (VAT). All of the Company’s products sold in the PRC are subject to a Chinese value-added tax at a rate of 13% or 17% of the gross sales price. This VAT may be offset by VAT paid by the Company on raw materials and other materials included in the cost of producing the finished product.

The Company infrequently engages in trading transactions in which the Company acts as an agent between the suppliers and the customers. The trading arrangements are such that the suppliers are the primary obligators, the Company does not have any general inventory risk, physical inventory loss risk or credit risk, and the Company does not have latitude in establishing price. Sales and cost of goods sold from these trading arrangements are recorded at the net amount retained in accordance with ASC 605-45.

Reclassification, Policy [Policy Text Block]

'

(n)

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications have no effect on the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and cash flows.

Summary_of_significant_account2

Summary of significant accounting policies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Schedule of Subsidiary of Limited Liability Company or Limited Partnership, Description [Table Text Block]	'
	The consolidated financial statements of the Company reflect the activities of the following major directly owned subsidiaries:
	Subsidiary			Percentage
				of Ownership
	General Steel Investment Co., Ltd.	British Virgin Islands			100	%
	General Steel (China) Co., Ltd. (“General Steel (China)”)	PRC			100	%
	Baotou Steel – General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Co., Ltd.	PRC			80	%
	Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd. (“Yangpu Shengtong”)	PRC			99.1	%
	Tianjin Qiu Steel Investment Co., Ltd. (“Qiu Steel”)	PRC			98.7	%
	Longmen Joint Venture	PRC			VIE/60.0	%
	Maoming Hengda Steel Company, Ltd. (“Maoming Hengda”)	PRC			99	%
Schedule Of Consolidated Assets and Liabilities Of Variable Interest Entities and Subsidiaries [Table Text Block]	'
	The carrying amount of the VIE and its subsidiaries’ consolidated assets and liabilities are as follows:
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Current assets	$	1,174,775		$	1,282,054
	Plant and equipment, net		1,260,199			1,262,144
	Other noncurrent assets		77,116			29,014
	Total assets		2,512,090			2,573,212
	Total liabilities		-3,039,135			-3,040,879
	Net liabilities	$	-527,045		$	-467,667
Schedule Of Liabilities Of Variable Interest Entities and Subsidiaries [Table Text Block]	'
	VIE and its subsidiaries’ liabilities consist of the following:
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Current liabilities:
	Short term notes payable	$	937,389		$	988,364
	Accounts payable		479,154			393,816
	Accounts payable - related parties		281,899			235,116
	Short term loans - bank		189,219			267,688
	Short term loans - others		42,525			55,844
	Short term loans - related parties		103,635			125,236
	Current maturities of long-term loans – related party		56,130			56,614
	Other payables and accrued liabilities		51,991			37,028
	Other payables - related parties		76,370			88,914
	Customer deposits		106,959			87,661
	Customer deposits - related parties		27,020			18,359
	Deposit due to sales representatives		23,713			24,343
	Deposit due to sales representatives – related parties		1,980			1,997
	Taxes payable		6,013			3,357
	Deferred lease income		2,168			2,187
	Capital lease obligations, current		4,774			4,321
	Intercompany payable to be eliminated		21,237			21,420
	Total current liabilities		2,412,176			2,412,265
	Non-current liabilities:
	Long term loans - related parties		15,906			16,043
	Deferred lease income - noncurrent		74,072			75,257
	Capital lease obligations, noncurrent		376,025			375,019
	Profit sharing liability		160,956			162,295
	Total non-current liabilities		626,959			628,614
	Total liabilities of consolidated VIE	$	3,039,135		$	3,040,879
Schedule Of Statement Of Operations Of Variable Interest Entities and Subsidiaries [Table Text Block]	'
		Three months ended			Three months ended
		March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Sales	$	594,014		$	646,748
	Gross (loss) profit	$	-22,219		$	4,367
	Income (loss) from operations	$	-39,294		$	34,937
	Net income (loss) attributable to controlling interest	$	-38,034		$	8,325
Schedule of Line of Credit Facilities [Table Text Block]	'
	The Company received lines of credit from the listed major banks totaling $229.0 million with expiration dates ranging from March 23, 2015 to July 17, 2015.
	Banks	Amount of			Repayment Date
		Line of Credit
		(in millions)
	Bank of Chongqing		48.7		March 23, 2015*
	Industrial Bank Co., Ltd.		48.7		5-May-15
	China Merchant Bank		48.7		19-May-15
	China CITIC Bank		32.5		16-Jun-15
	Bank of Communication		17.9		17-Jul-15
	Bank of Jinzhou		32.5		March 23, 2015*
	Total	$	229
	*Management expects the lines of credit will be extended after the repayment dates.
Schedule of Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis [Table Text Block]	'
	The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2014:
	(in thousands)	Carrying Value as			Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2014
		of March 31, 2014			Using Fair Value Hierarchy
					Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	Profit sharing liability	$	160,956		$	-	$	-	$	160,956
	Total	$	160,956		$	-	$	-	$	160,956
	The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2013:
	(in thousands)	Carrying Value as			Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2013
		of December 31,  2013			Using Fair Value Hierarchy
					Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
	Profit sharing liability	$	162,295		$	-	$	-	$	162,295
	Total	$	162,295		$	-	$	-	$	162,295
Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Table Text Block]	'
	The following is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balance of the assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and for the year ended December 31, 2013:
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	162,295		$	328,828
	Change in fair value of profit sharing liability:
	Present value discount amortization		2,810			16,872
	Change in estimate		-2,761			-191,441
	Change in derivative liabilities-warrants		-			1
	Exchange rate effect		-1,388			8,035
	Ending balance	$	160,956		$	162,295
Schedule Of Property Plant and Equipment Estimated Useful Life [Table Text Block]	'
	The estimated useful lives are as follows:
	Buildings and Improvements	10-40 Years
	Machinery	10-30 Years
	Machinery and equipment under capital lease	10-20 Years
	Other equipment	5 Years
	Transportation Equipment	5 Years
Schedule of Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets by Major Class [Table Text Block]	'
	Other than the land use rights that General Steel (China) acquired in 2001, the Company amortizes the land use rights over their 50 year term.
	Entity	Original Cost			Expires on
		(in thousands)
	General Steel (China)	$	3,851		2050 & 2053
	Longmen Joint Venture	$	24,075		2048 & 2052
	Maoming Hengda	$	2,694		2054
Schedule Of Investments By Affiliates [Table Text Block]	'
	The table below summarizes Longmen Joint Venture’s investment holdings as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.
	Unconsolidated entities	Year			March 31, 2014		Owned		December 31,		Owned
		acquired			Net investment		%		2013		%
					(In thousands)				Net investment
									(In thousands)
	Xi’an Delong Powder Engineering Materials Co., Ltd.		2007		$	1,042		24.1	$	1,215		24.1
	The table below summarizes General Steel (China)’s investment holding (see Note 2(a) - Basis of presentation) as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.
	Unconsolidated entities	Year			March 31, 2014		Owned		December 31,			Owned
		acquired			Net investment		%		2013			%
					(In thousands)				Net investment
									(In thousands)
	Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.		2010		$	15,593		32	$	15,728		32
Longmen Joint Venture [Member]	'
Schedule Of Estimated Cash Flow [Table Text Block]	'
	The detailed breakdown of Longmen Joint Venture’s estimated cash flows items are listed below.
		Cash inflow (outflow)
		(in millions)
		For the twelve months
		ended March 31, 2015
	Current liabilities over current assets (excluding non-cash items) as of March 31, 2014 (unaudited)	$	-1,295.40
	Projected cash financing and outflows:
	Cash provided by line of credit from banks		229
	Cash provided by vendor financing		811.5
	Cash provided by other financing		362
	Cash provided by sales representatives		25.7
	Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015		-29.5
	Cash projected to be used for financing cost in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015		-74
	Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ended March 31, 2015	$	29.3
Vendor Financing [Member]	'
Schedule Of Estimated Cash Flow [Table Text Block]	'
	Longmen Joint Venture signed additional vendor financing agreements, which will provide liquidity to the Company in a total amount of $811.5 million with the following companies:
	Company	Financing period covered		Financing Amount
				(in millions)
	Company A – related party	July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015		$	162.3
	Company B – third party	January 22, 2014 – January 22, 2017			162.3
	Company C – third party	October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2015			486.9
	Total			$	811.5
Other Financing [Member]	'
Schedule Of Estimated Cash Flow [Table Text Block]	'
	On February 20, 2014, March 5, 2014, April 22, 2014 and April 23, 2014 Longmen Joint Venture signed payment extension agreements with each company listed below. In total, Longmen Joint Venture can obtain $362.0 million in financial support from two-year and three-year balancing payment extensions granted by the following five companies:
	Company	Financing period covered		Financing Amount
				(in millions)
	Company D – related party	April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017		$	81.2
	Company E – related party	April 23, 2014 – April 23, 2017			86
	Company F – related party	April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017			81.2
	Company G – related party	March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016			56.8
	Company H – related party	March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016			56.8
	Total			$	362

Loans_receivable_related_parti1

Loans receivable - related parties (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Loans and Leases Receivable, Related Parties Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule Of Loans Receivable Related Parties Current [Table Text Block]	'
	The Company had the following loans receivable – related parties due within one year as of:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Loan to Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd; due in June, July and December 2014; interest rate was 4.75%	$	4,540	$	4,540
	Total loans receivable – related parties	$	4,540	$	4,540

Accounts_receivable_including_1

Accounts receivable (including related parties), net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Receivables [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Table Text Block]	'
	Accounts receivable, including related party receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts consists of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Accounts receivable	$	5,188	$	5,131
	Less: allowance for doubtful accounts		-800		-1,053
	Accounts receivable – related parties		4,474		2,942
	Net accounts receivable	$	8,862	$	7,020
Schedule Of Allowance For Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Table Text Block]	'
	Movement of allowance for doubtful accounts is as follows:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	1,053	$	1,367
	Charge to expense		-		96
	Less: recovery		-245		-449
	Exchange rate effect		-8		39
	Ending balance	$	800	$	1,053

Inventories_Tables

Inventories (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Inventory, Current [Table Text Block]	'
	Inventories consist of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Supplies	$	23,172	$	21,040
	Raw materials		130,356		164,301
	Finished goods		72,611		42,977
	Less: allowance for inventory valuation		-15,378		-15,397
	Total inventories	$	210,761	$	212,921
Summary Of Inventory Valuation Allowance [Table Text Block]	'
	Movement of allowance for inventory valuation is as follows:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	15,397	$	9,585
	Addition		15,493		15,194
	Less: write-off		-15,380		-9,757
	Exchange rate effect		-132		375
	Ending balance	$	15,378	$	15,397

Plant_and_equipment_net_Tables

Plant and equipment, net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Table Text Block]	'
	Plant and equipment consist of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Buildings and improvements	$	287,617	$	274,402
	Machinery		663,902		667,093
	Machinery under capital lease		618,559		623,895
	Transportation and other equipment		23,220		22,991
	Construction in progress		24,920		11,412
	Subtotal		1,618,218		1,599,793
	Less: accumulated depreciation		-349,019		-327,886
	Total	$	1,269,199	$	1,271,907
Schedule Of Construction In Progress [Table Text Block]	'
	Construction in progress consisted of the following as of March 31, 2014:
	Construction in progress	Value		Completion		Estimated
						additional cost to
						complete
	description	(In thousands)		date		(In thousands)
	Factory wall remodel		1,021		Jun-14		77
	Equipment updates		696		May-14		1,332
	Sintering machine construction		3,923		Nov-14		141,580
	#5 blast furnace construction		10,654		Dec-14		166,253
	Electrical substation construction		5		Aug-14		24,523
	Reconstruction of miscellaneous factory buildings		5,272		Jun-14		4,405
	Project materials		2,136				-
	Others		1,213				-
	Total	$	24,920			$	338,170
Machinery and Equipment [Member]	'
Schedule of Capital Leased Assets [Table Text Block]	'
	The carrying value of assets acquired under the capital lease consists of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Machinery	$	618,559	$	623,895
	Less: accumulated depreciation		-84,250		-77,086
	Carrying value of leased assets	$	534,309	$	546,809

Intangible_assets_net_Tables

Intangible assets, net (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Table Text Block]	'
	Intangible assets consist of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Land use rights	$	30,620	$	30,884
	Mining right		2,438		2,459
	Software		1,047		743
	Subtotal		34,105		34,086
	Less:
	Accumulated amortization – land use rights		-8,595		-8,498
	Accumulated amortization – mining right		-1,322		-1,320
	Accumulated amortization – software		-601		-561
	Subtotal		-10,518		-10,379
	Intangible assets, net	$	23,587	$	23,707
Schedule of Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Future Amortization Expense [Table Text Block]	'
	The estimated aggregate amortization and depletion expenses for each of the five succeeding years is as follows:
	Year ending	Estimated			Gross carrying
		amortization and			amount
		depletion expenses
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	31-Mar-15	$	917		22,669
	31-Mar-16		917		21,752
	31-Mar-17		917		20,835
	31-Mar-18		917		19,918
	31-Mar-19		917		19,001
	Thereafter		19,002		-
	Total	$	23,587

Debt_Tables

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments [Table Text Block]	'
	Long-term loans due to related party
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from Shaanxi Steel Group, due on various dates through November 2015 and interest rate are 5.6% - 5.9% per annum.	$	72,035	$	72,657
	Less: Current maturities of long-term loans – related party		-57,428		-53,013
	Long-term loans - related party	$	14,607	$	19,644
Short Term Notes Payable [Member]	'
Schedule of Short-term Debt [Table Text Block]	'
	The Company had the following short-term notes payable as of:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	General Steel (China): Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from April to July 2014. Restricted cash required of $13.0 million and $16.4 million as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.	$	25,968	$	29,466
	Longmen Joint Venture: Notes payable to various banks in China, due various dates from April to September 2014. $406.8 million restricted cash and $133.0 million notes receivable are secured for notes payable as of March 31, 2014, and comparatively $383.0 million restricted cash and $231.7 million notes receivable secured as of December 31, 2013, respectively; some notes are further guaranteed by third parties. These notes payable were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.		937,389		988,364
	Total short-term notes payable	$	963,357	$	1,017,830
Due To Banks [Member]	'
Schedule of Short-term Debt [Table Text Block]	'
	Due to banks
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	General Steel (China): Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from May 2014 to January 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 7.1% per annum and 7.2% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties. These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.	$	40,899	$	34,229
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various banks in China, due various dates from April 2014 to January 2015. Weighted average interest rate was 6.1% per annum and 6.3% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; some are guaranteed by third parties, restricted cash or notes receivables. $128.2 million and $163.9 million restricted notes receivable were secured for the loans as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively; These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.		189,219		267,688
	Total short-term loans - bank	$	230,118	$	301,917
Due To Unrelated Parties [Member]	'
Schedule of Short-term Debt [Table Text Block]	'
	Due to unrelated parties
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from various unrelated companies and individuals, due various dates from April to September 2014, and weighted average interest rate was 5.6% per annum and 5.2% per annum as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively. These loans were either repaid or renewed subsequently on the due dates.	$	17,987	$	22,720
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from financing sales.		24,538		33,124
	Maoming Hengda: Loans from one unrelated parties and one related party, due on demand, none interest bearing.		6,170		6,223
	Total short-term loans – others	$	48,695	$	62,067
Due To Related Parties [Member]	'
Schedule of Short-term Debt [Table Text Block]	'
	Short term loans due to related parties
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	General Steel China: Loans from Yangpu Capital Automobile, due on demand, and interest rates is 10% per annum.	$	1,445	$	1,458
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loan from Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd., due on demand, and interest rate is 7.0% per annum.		22,169		28,216
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loan from Shaanxi Steel Group due on various dates from November 2014 to March 2015, and interest rate is 6.6% and 7.0% per annum.		73,035		49,110
	Longmen Joint Venture: Loans from financing sales.		8,431		47,909
	Total short-term loans - related parties	$	105,080	$	126,693

Warrants_Tables

Warrants (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Stockholders' Equity Note, Warrants or Rights [Table Text Block]	'
	The Company had the following warrants outstanding:
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2012	3,900,871
	Granted	-
	Forfeited / expired	-3,900,871
	Exercised	-
	Outstanding as of December 31, 2013	-
	Granted	-
	Forfeited / expired	-
	Exercised	-
	Outstanding as of March 31, 2014	-

Capital_lease_obligations_Tabl

Capital lease obligations (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Leases, Capital [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Future Minimum Lease Payments for Capital Leases [Table Text Block]	'
	Presented below is a schedule of estimated minimum lease payments on the capital lease obligation for the next five years as of March 31, 2014:
	Year ending March 31,	Capital Lease Obligations
		Minimum Lease Payments
		(in thousands)
	2015	$	5,755
	2016		4,211
	2017		172,982
	2018		31,906
	2019		30,345
	Thereafter		345,697
	Total minimum lease payments		590,896
	Less: amounts representing interest		-210,097
	Ending balance	$	380,799

Taxes_Tables

Taxes (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit) [Table Text Block]	'
	Significant components of the provision for income taxes on earnings and deferred taxes on net operating losses from operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013 are as follows:
	(In thousands)	The three months ended		The three months ended
		March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
	Current	$	5	$	71
	Deferred		-		-
	Total provision for income taxes	$	5	$	71
Summary of Valuation Allowance [Table Text Block]	'
	Movement of valuation allowance:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	97,569	$	72,891
	Current period addition		4,129		23,293
	Current period reversal		-155		-1,206
	Deconsolidation of Tongxing		-		-
	Exchange difference		-865		2,591
	Ending balance	$	100,678	$	97,569
Schedule Of Taxes Payable [Table Text Block]	'
	Taxes payable consisted of the following:
		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)		(in thousands)
	VAT taxes payable	$	4,472	$	2,211
	Income taxes payable		164		173
	Misc. taxes		2,640		2,244
	Totals	$	7,276	$	4,628

Income_Loss_per_share_Tables

Income Loss per share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]	'
	The computation of income (loss) per share is as follows:
	(in thousands, except per share data)	The three months		The three months
		ended March 31, 2014		ended March 31, 2013
	Income (loss) attributable to holders of common stock	$	-43,564	$	3,103
	Basic and diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding		55,813		54,805
	Earnings (loss) per share
	Basic and diluted	$	-0.78	$	0.06

Related_party_transactions_and1

Related party transactions and balances (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Schedule Of Related Party Sales [Table Text Block]	'
	The following chart summarized sales to related parties for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.
	Name of related parties	Relationship		Three months ended			Three months ended
				March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	44,800		$	80,675
	Sichuan Yutai Trading Co., Ltd	Significant influence by Long Steel Group*			-			72
	Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd	Significant influence by Long Steel Group			-			14,435
	Shaanxi Haiyan Trade Co., Ltd	Significant influence by Long Steel Group			15			10,592
	Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd	Significant influence by Long Steel Group			20,736			18,286
	Shaanxi Steel	Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			471			963
	Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd.	Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			4,969			1,834
	Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd	Subsidiary of Long Steel Group			6,618			1,999
	Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd	Investee of Long Steel Group			4,597			20,004
	Total			$	82,206		$	148,860
	*Long Steel Group has the ability to significantly influence the operating and financial decisions of the entity through equity ownership either directly or through key employees, commercial contractual terms, or the ability to assign management personnel.
Schedule Of Related Party Purchases [Table Text Block]	'
	The following charts summarize purchases from related parties for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.
	Name of related parties	Relationship		Three months ended			Three months ended
				March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	151,772		$	104,493
	Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd	Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group			44,088			63,798
	Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd	Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group			904			11,755
	Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co., Ltd	Subsidiary of Long Steel Group			-			53
	Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd	Investee of Long Steel Group			-			210
	Shaanxi Huafu New Energy Co., Ltd	Significant influence by the Long Steel Group			6,660			9,529
	Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd.	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary			-			3,477
	Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.	Investee of General Steel (China)			23,339			-
	Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			4,275			-
	Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			27,919			-
	Others	Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			47			70
	Total			$	259,004		$	193,385
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions Loan Receivables From Related Party [Table Text Block]	'
	Loans receivable – related parties:
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding**			4,540			4,540
	Total			$	4,540		$	4,540
	**The CEO is referred to herein as the chief executive officer of General Steel Holdings, Inc.
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Accounts Receivables From Related Party [Table Text Block]	'
	Accounts receivables – related parties:
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	2,633		$	548
	Tianjin Daqiuzhuang Steel Plates	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			19			19
	Shaanxi Steel	Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			1,816			1,741
	Others				6			634
	Total			$	4,474		$	2,942
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Other Receivables Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Other receivables – related parties:
	Other receivables - related parties are those nontrade receivables arising from transactions between the Company and its related parties, such as advances or payments made on behalf of these related parties.
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	702		$	406
	Shaanxi Steel	Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			47,238			46,439
	Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			1,237			1,247
	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co, Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			484			491
	Beijing Shenhua Xinyuan Metal Materials Co., Ltd.	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			4,859			4,901
	Victory Energy Resource Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			2,531			-
	Others	Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			803			622
	Total			$	57,854		$	54,106
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Advances On Inventory Purchase From Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Advances on inventory purchase – related parties:
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	-		$	9,123
	Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd.	Significant influence by Long Steel Group			-			25,607
	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			26,049			10,343
	Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			60,849			16,158
	Tianjin General Qiugang Pipe Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			30,018			555
	Maoming Shengze Trading Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			-			21,197
	Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.	Investee of General Steel (China)			3,490			-
	Others	Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			20			20
	Total			$	120,426		$	83,003
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Accounts Payable Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Accounts payable - related parties:
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		$	71,047		$	58,163
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			176,347			134,758
	Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd.	Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			21,814			29,990
	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			7,528			958
	Xi’an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co., Ltd	Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group			4,429			8,714
	Henan Xinmi Kanghua Fire Refractory Co., Ltd	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary			641			716
	Beijing Daishang Trading Co., Ltd	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary			36			1,004
	Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.	Investee of General Steel (China)			-			759
	Others	Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			696			630
	Total			$	282,540		$	235,692
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Short Term Loans Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Short-term loans - related parties:
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Shaanxi Steel	Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group		$	73,035		$	49,110
	Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd	Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			22,169			28,216
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			-			33,183
	Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			8,431			8,178
	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			-			6,548
	Yangpu Capital Automobile	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			1,445			1,458
	Total			$	105,080		$	126,693
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions Current Maturities Of Long Term Loans Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Current maturities of long-term loans – related parties
	Name of related party	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Shaanxi Steel	Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group		$	57,428		$	53,013
	Total			$	57,428		$	53,013
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Other Payable Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Other payables – related parties:
	Other payables – related parties are those nontrade payables arising from transactions between the Company and its related parties, such as advances or payments from these related parties on behalf of the Group.
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31,			December 31,
				2014			2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Tianjin Hengying Trading Co, Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding		$	377		$	380
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			31,861			43,636
	Shaanxi Steel	Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group			43,983			44,363
	Wendlar Investment & Management Group Co., Ltd	Common control under CEO			900			895
	Yangpu Capital Automobile	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			325			291
	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			469			473
	Maoming Shengze Trading Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			2,248			1,745
	Victory Energy Resource Co., Ltd	Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding			-			1,375
	Others	Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			531			921
	Total			$	80,694		$	94,079
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Customer Deposits Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Customer deposits – related parties:
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd	Significant influence by Long Steel Group		$	10		$	10
	Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co., Ltd	Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel			1,967			-
	Long Steel Group	Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture			20,978			15,038
	Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co., Ltd	Investee of Long Steel Group			4,065			2,748
	Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co., Ltd	Significant influence by Long Steel Group			-			275
	Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.	Investee of General Steel (China)			118,346			46,521
	Others	Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management			-			289
	Total			$	145,366		$	64,881
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Deposits Due To Sales Representatives [Table Text Block]	'
	Deposits due to sales representatives – related parties
	Name of related parties	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Gansu Yulong Trading Co., Ltd.	Significant influence by Long Steel Group		$	1,396		$	1,408
	Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co., Ltd	Significant influence by Long Steel Group			584			589
	Total			$	1,980		$	1,997
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Long Term Loans Related Parties [Table Text Block]	'
	Long-term loans – related party:
	Name of related party	Relationship		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
				(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Shaanxi Steel	Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group		$	14,607		$	19,644
	Total			$	14,607		$	19,644
Schedule Of Related Party Transactions, Deferred Lease Income [Table Text Block]	'
	Deferred lease income
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Beginning balance	$	77, 444		$	77,199
	Less: Lease income realized		-546			-2,158
	Exchange rate effect		-658			2,403
	Ending balance		76,240			77,444
	Current portion		-2,168			-2,187
	Noncurrent portion	$	74,072		$	75,257
Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'
Schedule of Capital Leased Assets [Table Text Block]	'
	The following is an analysis of the leased assets under the capital lease:
		March 31, 2014			December 31, 2013
		(in thousands)			(in thousands)
	Machinery	$	600,658		$	605,839
	Less: accumulated depreciation		-83,216			-76,740
	Carrying value of leased assets	$	517,442		$	529,099

Commitment_and_contingencies_T

Commitment and contingencies (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases [Table Text Block]	'
	Total operating lease commitments for rental of offices, buildings, equipment and land use rights of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries as of March 31, 2014 is as follows:
	Year ending March 31,	Minimum lease payment
		(in thousands)
	2015	$	1,243
	2016		568
	2017		568
	2018		568
	2019		568
	Years after		19,744
	Total minimum payments required	$	23,259
Schedule of Guarantor Obligations [Table Text Block]	'
	As of March 31, 2014, Longmen Joint Venture provided guarantees to related parties’ and third parties’ bank loans, including lines of credit and others, amounting to $274.5 million.
	Nature of guarantee	Guarantee		Guaranty Due Date
		amount
		(In thousands)
	Line of credit	$	177,353	Various from April 2014 to August 2015
	Three-party financing agreements		4,869	Jul-14
	Confirming storage		41,549	Various from April to September 2014
	Financing by the rights of goods delivery in future		50,719	Various from April to October 2014
	Total	$	274,490
Schedule Of Parties Being Guaranteed [Table Text Block]	'
	Name of parties being guaranteed	Guarantee		Guaranty Due Date
		amount
		(In thousands)
	Long Steel Group	$	55,182	Various from September 2014 to August 2015
	Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co., Ltd		44,795	Various from April to December 2014
	Shaanxi Xingyuan Materials Co., Ltd.		2,435	Jul-14
	Long Steel Group Fuping Rolling Steel Co., Ltd		6,938	Various from April to June 2014
	Shaanxi Tianyi Metal Materials Co., Ltd		6,492	Dec-14
	Xi’an Laisheng Logistics Co., Ltd		11,767	Various from May to August 2014
	Xi'an Kaiyuan Steel Sales Co., Ltd		6,492	Jan-15
	Shaanxi Anlin Logistics Co., Ltd		6,492	Apr-14
	Shaanxi Longan Industry Co., Ltd.		8,115	Dec-14
	Hancheng Sanli Furnace Burden Co., Ltd.		16,230	Mar-15
	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co., Ltd		44,633	Various from June 2014 to March 2015
	Tianjin Hengying Trading Co., Ltd		40,575	Various from July 2014 to January 2015
	Tianjin Qiu Steel Pipe Industry Co., Ltd		4,869	Apr-14
	Jinmen Desheng Metallurgy Co., Ltd		19,475	Various from August to September 2014
	Total	$	274,490

Segments_Tables

Segments (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Schedule of Segment Reporting Information, by Segment [Table Text Block]	'
	The following represents results of division operations for three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013:
	(In thousands)
	Sales:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	594,014	$	646,748
	Maoming Hengda			36		1,523
	Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture			162		9
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			53		48,726
	Total sales			594,265		697,006
	Interdivision sales			-54		-45,715
	Consolidated sales		$	594,211	$	651,291
	Gross profit (loss):		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	-22,219	$	4,367
	Maoming Hengda			24		-228
	Baotou Steel			-23		-78
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			-343		6
	Total gross profit (loss)			-22,561		4,067
	Interdivision gross profit			-		-
	Consolidated gross profit (loss)		$	-22,561	$	4,067
	Income (loss) from operations:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	-39,294	$	34,937
	Maoming Hengda			-522		-797
	Baotou Steel			-44		-361
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			-2,566		-808
	Total income (loss) from operations			-42,426		32,971
	Interdivision income (loss) from operations			-		-
	Reconciling item (1)			-1,237		-1,080
	Consolidated income (loss) from operations		$	-43,663	$	31,891
	Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	-38,034	$	8,325
	Maoming Hengda			-537		-771
	Baotou Steel			-35		-289
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			-3,843		-3,156
	Total net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.			-42,449		4,109
	Interdivision net income			-		-
	Reconciling item (1)			-1,115		-1,006
	Consolidated net loss attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.		$	-43,564	$	3,103
	Depreciation, amortization and depletion:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	23,530	$	20,431
	Maoming Hengda			304		311
	Baotou Steel			62		97
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			450		519
	Consolidated depreciation, amortization and depletion		$	24,346	$	21,358
	Finance/interest expenses:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	26,990	$	22,150
	Maoming Hengda					-
	Baotou Steel			1		-
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			1,609		2,706
	Interdivision interest expenses			-		-
	Reconciling item (1)			95		1
	Consolidated interest expenses		$	28,695	$	24,857
	Capital expenditures:		2014		2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	56,747	$	24,083
	Maoming Hengda			32		2
	Baotou Steel			-		7
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			82		1
	Reconciling item (1)			-		-
	Consolidated capital expenditures		$	56,861	$	24,093
	Total Assets as of:		March 31, 2014		December 31, 2013
	Longmen Joint Venture		$	2,512,090	$	2,573,212
	Maoming Hengda			28,278		29,211
	Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture			4,122		4,448
	General Steel (China) & Tianwu Joint Venture			182,641		121,883
	Interdivision assets			-33,930		-34,213
Reconciling item (2)			8,311		5,817
Total Assets		$	2,701,512	$	2,700,358
	-1	Reconciling item represents the unallocated income or expenses of the Company, arising from General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.
	-2	Reconciling item represents assets held at General Steel Holdings, Inc., General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Organization_and_Operations_De

Organization and Operations (Details Textual)	3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Apr. 29, 2011	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2011	Apr. 29, 2011	Apr. 29, 2011
		General Steel Investment Co Ltd [Member]	Longmen Joint Venture [Member]	Longmen Joint Venture [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]
							USD ($)	CNY
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	'	100.00%	60.00%	60.00%	'	'	'	'
Iron and Steel Making Facilities	'	'	'	'	'	'	$605.80	3,700
Unified Management Agreement, Percentage Of Pretax Profit	'	'	60.00%	'	40.00%	40.00%	'	'
Unified Management Agreement, Economic Interest	60.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Unified Management Agreement, Economic Interest Decreased	36.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Percentage Of Overall Capacity	75.00%	'	'	'	'	'	'	'

Summary_of_significant_account3

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Apr. 29, 2011
General Steel Investment Co., Ltd. [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	100.00%	'
Entity Incorporation, State Country Name	'British Virgin Islands	'
General Steel (China) Co., Ltd. ("General Steel (China)") [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	100.00%	'
Entity Incorporation, State Country Name	'PRC	'
Baotou Steel - General Steel Special Steel Pipe Joint Venture Co., Ltd. [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	80.00%	'
Entity Incorporation, State Country Name	'PRC	'
Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd. ("Yangpu Shengtong") [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	99.10%	'
Entity Incorporation, State Country Name	'PRC	'
Tianjin Qiu Steel Investment Co., Ltd. ("Qiu Steel") [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	98.70%	'
Entity Incorporation, State Country Name	'PRC	'
Longmen Joint Venture [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	60.00%	60.00%
Entity Incorporation, State Country Name	'PRC	'
Maoming Hengda Steel Company, Ltd. ("Maoming Hengda") [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage	99.00%	'
Entity Incorporation, State Country Name	'PRC	'

Summary_of_significant_account4

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 1) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Current assets	$1,336,795	$1,380,724
Plant and equipment, net	1,269,199	1,271,907
Total assets	2,701,512	2,700,358
Total liabilities	-3,260,043	-3,194,355
Variable Interest Entities and Subsidiary [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Current assets	1,174,775	1,282,054
Plant and equipment, net	1,260,199	1,262,144
Other noncurrent assets	77,116	29,014
Total assets	2,512,090	2,573,212
Total liabilities	-3,039,135	-3,040,879
Net liabilities	($527,045)	($467,667)

Summary_of_significant_account5

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 2) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current liabilities:	'	'	'
Short term notes payable	$963,357	$1,017,830	'
Accounts payable	513,397	434,979	'
Accounts payable - related parties	282,540	235,692	'
Short term loans - bank	230,118	301,917	'
Short term loans - others	48,695	62,067	'
Short term loans - related parties	105,080	126,693	'
Current maturities of long-term loans - related party	57,428	53,013	'
Other payables and accrued liabilities	60,795	45,653	'
Other payables - related parties	80,694	94,079	'
Customer deposits	107,002	87,860	'
Customer deposits - related parties	145,366	64,881	'
Deposit due to sales representatives	23,713	24,343	'
Taxes payable	7,276	4,628	'
Deferred lease income	2,168	2,187	500
Capital lease obligations, current	4,774	4,321	'
Total current liabilities	2,634,383	2,562,140	'
Non-current liabilities:	'	'	'
Long term loans - related parties	14,607	19,644	'
Deferred lease income - noncurrent	74,072	75,257	'
Capital lease obligations, noncurrent	376,025	375,019	'
Profit sharing liability	160,956	162,295	'
Total non-current liabilities	625,660	632,215	'
Total liabilities of consolidated VIE	3,260,043	3,194,355	'
Variable Interest Entities and Subsidiary [Member]	'	'	'
Current liabilities:	'	'	'
Short term notes payable	937,389	988,364	'
Accounts payable	479,154	393,816	'
Accounts payable - related parties	281,899	235,116	'
Short term loans - bank	189,219	267,688	'
Short term loans - others	42,525	55,844	'
Short term loans - related parties	103,635	125,236	'
Current maturities of long-term loans - related party	56,130	56,614	'
Other payables and accrued liabilities	51,991	37,028	'
Other payables - related parties	76,370	88,914	'
Customer deposits	106,959	87,661	'
Customer deposits - related parties	27,020	18,359	'
Deposit due to sales representatives	23,713	24,343	'
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties	1,980	1,997	'
Taxes payable	6,013	3,357	'
Deferred lease income	2,168	2,187	'
Capital lease obligations, current	4,774	4,321	'
Intercompany payable to be eliminated	21,237	21,420	'
Total current liabilities	2,412,176	2,412,265	'
Non-current liabilities:	'	'	'
Long term loans - related parties	15,906	16,043	'
Deferred lease income - noncurrent	74,072	75,257	'
Capital lease obligations, noncurrent	376,025	375,019	'
Profit sharing liability	160,956	162,295	'
Total non-current liabilities	626,959	628,614	'
Total liabilities of consolidated VIE	$3,039,135	$3,040,879	'

Summary_of_significant_account6

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 3) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Sales	$512,005	$502,431
Gross (loss) profit	-22,561	4,067
Income (loss) from operations	-43,663	31,891
Net loss attributable to controlling interest	-43,564	3,103
Variable Interest Entities and Subsidiary [Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Sales	594,014	646,748
Gross (loss) profit	-22,219	4,367
Income (loss) from operations	-39,294	34,937
Net loss attributable to controlling interest	($38,034)	$8,325

Summary_of_significant_account7

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 4) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Amount of Line of Credit	$229
Bank of Chongqing [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Amount of Line of Credit	48.7
Repayment Date	23-Mar-15	[1]
Industrial Bank Co., Ltd [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Amount of Line of Credit	48.7
Repayment Date	5-May-15
China Merchant Bank [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Amount of Line of Credit	48.7
Repayment Date	19-May-15
China CITIC Bank [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Amount of Line of Credit	32.5
Repayment Date	16-Jun-15
Bank Of Communication [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Amount of Line of Credit	17.9
Repayment Date	17-Jul-15
Bank Of Jinzhou [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Amount of Line of Credit	$32.50
Repayment Date	23-Mar-15	[1]
[1]	Management expects the lines of credit will be extended after the repayment dates.

Summary_of_significant_account8

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 5) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Jul. 31, 2013	Jan. 06, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Nov. 07, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014
In Millions, unless otherwise specified		Vendor Financing [Member]	Vendor Financing [Member]	Vendor Financing [Member]	Vendor Financing [Member]	Vendor Financing [Member]	Vendor Financing [Member]	Vendor Financing [Member]
			Company A [Member]	Company A [Member]	Company A [Member]	Company B [Member]	Company B [Member]	Company C [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Financing Amount	$229	$811.50	$162.30	$162.30	$81.90	$162.30	$162.30	$486.90
Financing period covered	'	'	'July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015	'	'	'January 22, 2014 – January 22, 2017	'	'October 1, 2013 – March 31, 2015

Summary_of_significant_account9

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 6) (Other Financing [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Financing Amount	$362
Company D [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Financing Amount	81.2
Financing period covered	'April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017
Company E [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Financing Amount	86
Financing period covered	'April 23, 2014 – April 23, 2017
Company F [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Financing Amount	81.2
Financing period covered	'April 22, 2014 – April 22, 2017
Company G [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Financing Amount	56.8
Financing period covered	'March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016
Company H [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Financing Amount	$56.80
Financing period covered	'March 5, 2014 – March 5, 2016

Recovered_Sheet1

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 7) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2015
			Scenario, Forecast [Member]
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'
Current liabilities over current assets (excluding non-cash items) as of March 31, 2014 (unaudited)	'	'	($1,295,400,000)
Projected cash financing and outflows:	'	'	'
Cash provided by line of credit from banks	'	'	229,000,000
Cash provided by vendor financing	'	'	811,500,000
Cash provided by other financing	'	'	362,000,000
Cash provided by sales representatives	'	'	25,700,000
Cash projected to be used in operations in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015	'	'	-29,500,000
Cash projected to be used for financing cost in the twelve months ended March 31, 2015	-89,616,000	30,902,000	-74,000,000
Net projected change in cash for the twelve months ended March 31, 2015	'	'	$29,300,000

Recovered_Sheet2

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 8) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'
Profit sharing liability	$160,956	$162,295	'
Total	160,956	162,295	328,828
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 1 [Member]	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'
Profit sharing liability	0	0	'
Total	0	0	'
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2 [Member]	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'
Profit sharing liability	0	0	'
Total	0	0	'
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 3 [Member]	'	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'
Profit sharing liability	160,956	162,295	'
Total	$160,956	$162,295	'

Recovered_Sheet3

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 9) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Beginning balance	$162,295	$328,828
Change in fair value of profit sharing liability:	'	'
Present value discount amortization	2,810	16,872
Change in estimate	-2,761	-191,441
Change in derivative liabilities-warrants	0	1
Exchange rate effect	-1,388	8,035
Ending balance	$160,956	$162,295

Recovered_Sheet4

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 10)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Buildings and Improvements [Member] | Maximum [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'40 years
Buildings and Improvements [Member] | Minimum [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'10 years
Machinery [Member] | Maximum [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'30 years
Machinery [Member] | Minimum [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'10 years
Machinery and equipment under capital lease [Member] | Maximum [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'20 years
Machinery and equipment under capital lease [Member] | Minimum [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'10 years
Other equipment [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'5 years
Transportation Equipment [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	'5 years

Recovered_Sheet5

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 11) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
General Steel (China) [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Original Cost	$3,851
Expires on	'2050 & 2053
Longmen Joint Venture [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Original Cost	24,075
Expires on	'2048 & 2052
Maoming Hengda [Member]	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'
Original Cost	$2,694
Expires on	'2054

Recovered_Sheet6

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details 12) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Net investment	$16,635	$16,943
Xi'an Delong Powder Engineering Materials Co., Ltd.[Memebr]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Year acquired	'2007	'
Net investment	1,042	1,215
Owned Percentage	24.10%	24.10%
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd.[Member]	'	'
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'
Year acquired	'2010	'
Net investment	$15,593	$15,728
Owned Percentage	32.00%	32.00%

Recovered_Sheet7

Summary of significant accounting policies (Details Textual)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

13-May-13

Dec. 24, 2009

Dec. 31, 2007

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Jul. 31, 2013

Jan. 06, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Nov. 07, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Nov. 19, 2013

Nov. 19, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Oct. 01, 2013

Apr. 29, 2011

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2013

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2014

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2011

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

Criteria One [Member]

Criteria Two [Member]

Maximum [Member]

Minimum [Member]

Mining Rights [Member]

Mining Rights [Member]

Five Customers [Member]

Five Customers [Member]

Five Customers [Member]

Five Customers [Member]

One Customer [Member]

One Customer [Member]

Five Suppliers [Member]

Five Suppliers [Member]

Two Suppliers [Member]

One Suppliers [Member]

Vendor Financing [Member]

Company E [Member]

Company A [Member]

Company A [Member]

Company A [Member]

Company A [Member]

Company B [Member]

Company B [Member]

Company B [Member]

Company D [Member]

Company F [Member]

Company G [Member]

Company H [Member]

Company C [Member]

Company C [Member]

Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]

Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]

Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]

Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Yuxin Trading Co Ltd [Member]

Hualong [Member]

Hualong [Member]

Hualong [Member]

Huatianyulong [Member]

Huatianyulong [Member]

General Steel Investment Co Ltd [Member]

General Steel Investment Co Ltd [Member]

General Steel Investment Co Ltd [Member]

Maoming Hengda Steel Company Ltd [Member]

Maoming Hengda Steel Company Ltd [Member]

Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co Ltd [Member]

Tianjin Qiu Steel Investment Co Ltd [Member]

Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co Ltd [Member]

Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co Ltd [Member]

Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]

Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]

Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]

Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

CNY

Sales [Member]

Sales [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

Vendor Financing [Member]

Vendor Financing [Member]

Vendor Financing [Member]

USD ($)

Vendor Financing [Member]

Vendor Financing [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

Vendor Financing [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

Shareholder One [Member]

Shareholder Two [Member]

USD ($)

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

t

t

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

60.00%

60.00%

'

60.00%

100.00%

36.00%

34.67%

29.33%

50.00%

'

'

100.00%

100.00%

99.00%

99.00%

99.10%

98.70%

32.00%

32.00%

'

'

'

'

Working Capital

$1,300

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$50

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Noncontrolling Interest, Ownership Percentage by Noncontrolling Owners

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

40.00%

40.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Debt To Equity Ratio

5.8

5.8

'

'

6.5

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Due to Related Parties

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

14.2

67.2

'

'

'

94.9

'

'

20.3

16.1

7.5

9.6

5.8

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Vendor Financing, Variable Interest Rate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

0.05%

0.05%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Line Of Credit Amount Utilized

181

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Cash and Cash Equivalents Including Restricted Cash

465

'

'

'

431.3

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deposits Assets

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

0.4

2

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Entity Wide Purchases Major Supplier Percentage

'

'

10.00%

10.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

10.00%

10.00%

43.90%

32.60%

'

10.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Entity Wide Accounts Payable Major Supplier Percentage

'

'

'

'

10.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

39.60%

29.10%

'

'

'

'

'

'

10.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Foreign Currency Transaction and Translation Adjustment, Net Of Tax, Portion Attributable To Parent

3.6

'

'

'

0.7

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Foreign Currency Exchange Translation Rate Balance Sheet Items

'

6.16

'

'

'

6.11

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Foreign Currency Exchange Average Translation Rate

'

6.12

'

6.28

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Debt Instrument, Face Amount

'

'

'

'

'

'

40

'

40

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrants Issued

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

1,154,958

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrants Exercise Price

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$13.51

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrants Modified Exercise Price

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

$5

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Warrants Issued Increased

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

3,900,871

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Property, Plant and Equipment, Salvage Value, Percentage

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

5.00%

3.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Criteria For Determination Of Nature Of Lease

'The Company assesses all significant leases for purposes of classification as either operating or capital. At lease inception, if the lease meets any of the four following criteria, the Company will classify it as a capital lease; otherwise it will be treated as an operating lease: a) transfer of ownership to lessee at the end of the lease term, b) bargain purchase option, c) lease term is equal to 75% or more of the estimated economic life of the leased property, d) the present value of the minimum lease payments is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased asset.

'The Company assesses all significant leases for purposes of classification as either operating or capital. At lease inception, if the lease meets any of the four following criteria, the Company will classify it as a capital lease; otherwise it will be treated as an operating lease: a) transfer of ownership to lessee at the end of the lease term, b) bargain purchase option, c) lease term is equal to 75% or more of the estimated economic life of the leased property, d) the present value of the minimum lease payments is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased asset.

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage Of Ownership, Significant Influence

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

50.00%

20.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Income (Loss) from Equity Method Investments, Net of Dividends or Distributions

0.01

'

-0.04

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fair Value Inputs, Discount Rate

7.30%

7.30%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

486.9

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Restricted Notes Receivable Interest Income

14.1

'

10.8

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Concentration Risk, Percentage

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

20.40%

20.40%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Finite lived Intangible Asset Acquired

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2.4

15

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

24.1

148.3

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

3.9

23.7

2.7

16.6

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Profit Sharing Liability Fair Value Criteria

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'If we were to reduce the projected bank borrowings rate used to discount the liability to a present value by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31, 2014 would have been $184.2 million and we would increase the loss from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $23.2 million. If we were to reduce the projected selling units and growth in the steel market rate by 1.0% and other factors remained unchanged, our profit sharing liability as of March 31, 2014 would have been $158.4 million and we would increase the gain from the change in the fair value of the profit sharing liability by $1.8 million.

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Profit Sharing Liability

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2.81

2.76

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Gain Loss On Change In Fair Value Of Profit Sharing Liability

0.05

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

184.2

23.2

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Fair Value Measurement With Unobservable Inputs Reconciliation Initial Measurement And Recognition Of Profit Sharing Liability

161

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Business Combination Equity Interest Description

'Prior to November 19, 2013, the Company held a 60.0% equity interest in Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. (Tianwu). 32% interest was held by General Steel (China) and 28% interest was held by Yangpu Shengtong.

'Prior to November 19, 2013, the Company held a 60.0% equity interest in Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co., Ltd. (Tianwu). 32% interest was held by General Steel (China) and 28% interest was held by Yangpu Shengtong.

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage Of Equity Interest Sold

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

28.00%

28.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Proceeds From Sale Of Equity Interest

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

13.6

84.3

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Percentage Of Equity Interest Retained

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

32.00%

32.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Entity Wide Accounts Receivable Major Customer Percentage

10.00%

10.00%

'

'

10.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

0.00%

0.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Value Added Tax Rate

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

17.00%

13.00%

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life

'50 years

'50 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'50 years

'50 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'50 years

'

'

'50 years

'50 years

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Unified Management Agreement, Cost Of Asset

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

2.3

14.6

2.3

14.6

Line Of Credit Facility, Amount Outstanding

229

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

811.5

'

'

162.3

162.3

81.9

'

162.3

162.3

'

'

'

'

'

486.9

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Cash Surrender Value of Life Insurance

$0.20

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Recoverable Reserve

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

4,200,000

4,200,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Loans_receivable_related_parti2

Loans receivable - related parties (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Loans Receivable Related Parties [Line Items]	'		'
Loans receivable - related parties	$4,540		$4,540
Teamlink Investment Co., Ltd [Member]	'		'
Loans Receivable Related Parties [Line Items]	'		'
Loans receivable - related parties	$4,540	[1]	$4,540	[1]
[1]	The CEO is referred to herein as the chief executive officer of General Steel Holdings, Inc.

Loans_receivable_related_parti3

Loans receivable - related parties (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Loans Receivable Related Parties [Line Items]	'	'
Interest Income Related Party	$0.10	$0.10
Teamlink Investment Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Loans Receivable Related Parties [Line Items]	'	'
Loans Receivable Maturity Date	'due in June, July and December 2014	'
Loans Receivable Interest Rate Stated Percentage	4.75%	'

Accounts_receivable_including_2

Accounts receivable (including related parties), net (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'	'
Accounts receivable	$5,188	$5,131	'
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts	-800	-1,053	-1,367
Accounts receivable - related parties	4,474	2,942	'
Net accounts receivable	$8,862	$7,020	'

Accounts_receivable_including_3

Accounts receivable (including related parties), net (Details 1) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Line Items]	'	'
Beginning balance	$1,053	$1,367
Charge to expense	0	96
Less: recovery	-245	-449
Exchange rate effect	-8	39
Ending balance	$800	$1,053

Inventories_Details

Inventories (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Inventory [Line Items]	'	'	'
Supplies	$23,172	$21,040	'
Raw materials	130,356	164,301	'
Finished goods	72,611	42,977	'
Less: allowance for inventory valuation	-15,378	-15,397	-9,585
Total inventories	$210,761	$212,921	'

Inventories_Details_1

Inventories (Details 1) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Inventory [Line Items]	'	'
Beginning balance	$15,397	$9,585
Addition	15,493	15,194
Less: write-off	-15,380	-9,757
Exchange rate effect	-132	375
Ending balance	$15,378	$15,397

Advances_on_inventory_purchase1

Advances on inventory purchases (Details Textual) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Advances on inventory purchases [Line Items]	'	'
Advances On Inventory Purchases Including Related Parties	$164.80	$127.90

Plant_and_equipment_net_Detail

Plant and equipment, net (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Buildings and improvements	$287,617	$274,402
Machinery	663,902	667,093
Machinery under capital lease	618,559	623,895
Transportation and other equipment	23,220	22,991
Construction in progress	24,920	11,412
Subtotal	1,618,218	1,599,793
Less: accumulated depreciation	-349,019	-327,886
Total	$1,269,199	$1,271,907

Plant_and_equipment_net_Detail1

Plant and equipment, net (Details 1) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified			Factory wall repair [Member]	Equipment updates [Member]	Sintering Machine Construction [Member]	5 blast furnace construction [Member]	Electrical Substation Construction [Member]	Reconstruction Of Miscellaneous Factory Buildings [Member]	Project materials [Member]	Others [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Construction in progress	$24,920	$11,412	$1,021	$696	$3,923	$10,654	$5	$5,272	$2,136	$1,213
Construction Completion Date	'	'	30-Jun-14	31-May-14	30-Nov-14	31-Dec-14	31-Aug-14	30-Jun-14	'	'
Construction In Progress Estimated Additional Cost	$338,170	'	$77	$1,332	$141,580	$166,253	$24,523	$4,405	$0	$0

Plant_and_equipment_net_Detail2

Plant and equipment, net (Details 2) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Machinery	$618,559	$623,895
Less: accumulated depreciation	-84,250	-77,086
Carrying value of leased assets	$534,309	$546,809

Plant_and_equipment_net_Detail3

Plant and equipment, net (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Depreciation	$24.10	$21.10
Lease Expiration Date	30-Apr-31	'
Assets Held under Capital Leases [Member]	'	'
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]	'	'
Depreciation	$7.90	$7

Intangible_assets_net_Details

Intangible assets, net (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross	$34,105	$34,086
Less: Accumulated amortization	-10,518	-10,379
Intangible assets, net	23,587	23,707
Land use rights [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross	30,620	30,884
Less: Accumulated amortization	-8,595	-8,498
Mining right [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross	2,438	2,459
Less: Accumulated amortization	-1,322	-1,320
Software [Member]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Gross	1,047	743
Less: Accumulated amortization	($601)	($561)

Intangible_assets_net_Details_

Intangible assets, net (Details 1) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'
Estimated amortization and depletion expenses, March 31, 2015	$917
Estimated amortization and depletion expenses, March 31, 2016	917
Estimated amortization and depletion expenses, March 31, 2017	917
Estimated amortization and depletion expenses, March 31, 2018	917
Estimated amortization and depletion expenses, March 31, 2019	917
Thereafter	19,002
Total	23,587
Gross carrying amount, March 31, 2015	22,669
Gross carrying amount, March 31, 2016	21,752
Gross carrying amount, March 31, 2017	20,835
Gross carrying amount,March 31, 2018	19,918
Gross carrying amount, March 31, 2019	19,001
Thereafter	$0

Intangible_assets_net_Details_1

Intangible assets, net (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]	'	'
Finite-Lived Intangible Asset, Useful Life	'33 years 3 months 18 days	'
Amortization of Intangible Assets	$0.20	$0.20
Depletion	$0.01	$0.10

Debt_Details

Debt (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term notes payable	$963,357	$1,017,830
General Steel China Notes Payable To China Agricultural Bank [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term notes payable	25,968	29,466
Longmen Joint Venture Notes Payable To Various Banks In China [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term notes payable	$937,389	$988,364

Debt_Details_1

Debt (Details 1) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - bank	$230,118	$301,917
General Steel China Loans From Various Banks In China [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - bank	40,899	34,229
Longmen Joint Venture Loans from various banks in China [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - bank	$189,219	$267,688

Debt_Details_2

Debt (Details 2) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - others	$48,695	$62,067
Longmen Joint Venture Loans from various unrelated companies and individuals [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - others	17,987	22,720
Longmen Joint Venture Loans from financing sales [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - others	24,538	33,124
Maoming Hengda Loans from one unrelated parties and one related party [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - others	$6,170	$6,223

Debt_Details_3

Debt (Details 3) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - related parties	$105,080	$126,693
General Steel China Loans From Yangpu Capital Automobile [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - related parties	1,445	1,458
Longmen Joint Venture Loan from Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - related parties	22,169	28,216
Longmen Joint Venture Loan From Shaanxi Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - related parties	73,035	49,110
Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Financing Sales [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - related parties	$8,431	$47,909

Debt_Details_4

Debt (Details 4) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Current maturities of long-term loans - related party	($57,428)	($53,013)
Long-term loans - related party	14,607	19,644
Longmen Joint Venture Loans from Shaanxi Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term loans - related party	$72,035	$72,657

Debt_Details_Textual

Debt (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Percentage Of Transaction Fee	0.05%	'	'
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Guarantee For Notes Payable	$419.80	'	$399.40
Restricted Notes Receivable Guarantee For Notes Payable	133	'	231.7
Short Term Borrowings, Default	5.2	'	6.4
Financing Sales	230.5	165.2	'
Financial Services Costs	0.9	1.6	'
Interest Costs Capitalized	0.6	0.2	'
Interest Expense, Debt	9.5	8	'
General Steel China Notes Payable To Various Banks In China [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Guarantee For Notes Payable	13	'	16.4
Debt Instrument Maturity Dates	'various dates from April to July 2014	'	'
Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Various Unrelated Companies and Individuals [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument Maturity Dates	'various dates from April to September 2014	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.60%	'	5.20%
Longmen Joint Venture Notes Payable To Various Banks In China [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents Guarantee For Notes Payable	406.8	'	133
Restricted Notes Receivable Guarantee For Notes Payable	383	'	231.7
Debt Instrument Maturity Dates	'various dates from April to September 2014	'	'
Debt To Asset Ratio	93.50%	'	'
Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Shaanxi Steel Group [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	6.60%	'	7.00%
General Steel China Loans From Yangpu Capital Automobile [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	10.00%	'	'
Longmen Joint Venture Loan from Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	7.00%	'	'
Longmen Joint Venture Loans from various banks in China [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Restricted Notes Receivable Guarantee For Notes Payable	$128.20	'	$163.90
Debt Instrument Maturity Dates	'April 2014 to January 2015	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	6.10%	'	6.30%
General Steel China Loans From Various Banks In China [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument Maturity Dates	'various dates from May 2014 to January 2015	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	7.10%	'	7.20%
Debt To Asset Ratio	20.00%	'	89.70%
Maximum [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	12.00%	'	'
Debt To Asset Ratio	'	'	70.00%
Maximum [Member] | Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Various Unrelated Companies and Individuals [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.90%	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Financing Sales [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.90%	'	'
Maximum [Member] | Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Shaanxi Steel Group [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.90%	'	'
Minimum [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.00%	'	'
Debt To Asset Ratio	'	'	20.00%
Minimum [Member] | Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Various Unrelated Companies and Individuals [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	4.20%	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Financing Sales [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	4.20%	'	'
Minimum [Member] | Longmen Joint Venture Loans From Shaanxi Steel Group [Member]	'	'	'
Debt Instrument [Line Items]	'	'	'
Debt, Weighted Average Interest Rate	5.60%	'	'

Customer_deposits_Details_Text

Customer deposits (Details Textual) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Customer Deposits [Line Items]	'	'
Customer Deposits Including Related Parties	$252,400,000	$152,700,000
Customer deposits - related parties	$145,366,000	$64,881,000

Deposits_due_to_sales_represen1

Deposits due to sales representatives (Details Textual) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Deposits Due To Sales Representative Including Related Parties	$25.70	$26.30

Warrants_Details

Warrants (Details)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Convertible Notes And Warrant [Line Items]	'	'
Warrant Outstanding Beginning Balance	0	3,900,871
Warrants Granted	0	0
Warrants Forfeited / expired	0	-3,900,871
Warrants Exercised	0	0
Warrant Outstanding, Ending Balance	0	0

Warrants_Details_Textual

Warrants (Details Textual) (USD $)	13-May-13	Dec. 31, 2007
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Convertible Notes And Warrant [Line Items]	'	'
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	$40	$40

Supplemental_disclosure_of_cas1

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Supplemental Disclosure Of Cash Flow Information [Line Items]	'	'
Interest Paid, Net	$5.70	$3.60
Income Taxes Paid	0.01	0.1
Dividend Receivables Value	0.2	0.2
Disposal Of Equipment Value	0.01	1
Inventory Productions, Equipment Conversion	'	0.5
Inventory Utilized In Plant and Equipment Construction	1	4.1
Construction in Progress Expenditures Incurred but Not yet Paid	23.4	'
Notes Receivable Converted To Cash	$47.70	'

Deferred_lease_income_Details_

Deferred lease income (Details Textual)

3 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

3 Months Ended

10 Months Ended

12 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

Mar. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2013

Dec. 31, 2012

Dec. 31, 2010

Dec. 31, 2010

Mar. 30, 2011

Mar. 30, 2011

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 31, 2011

Dec. 30, 2010

Dec. 30, 2010

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

USD ($)

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

Longmen Joint Venture [Member]

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

USD ($)

CNY

Deferred Lease Income [Line Items]

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred Revenue Leases Reimbursement For Dismantled Assets

'

'

'

'

$11,400,000

70,100,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred Revenue Leases Reimbursement For Loss Of Efficiency

'

'

'

'

29,700,000

183,100,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred Revenue Leases Reimbursement For Trial Production Costs

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

14,500,000

89,300,000

14,500,000

89,500,000

Deferred Revenue Leases Lease Income Realized

546,000

532,000

2,158,000

'

'

'

7,100,000

43,900,000

'

'

'

'

Deferred Revenue, Leases, Net

76,240,000

'

77,444,000

77,199,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Deferred Revenue, Leases, Current

$2,168,000

$500,000

$2,187,000

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Capital_lease_obligations_Deta

Capital lease obligations (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Year ending March 31, 2015	$5,755
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Year ending March 31, 2016	4,211
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Year ending March 31, 2017	172,982
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Year ending March 31, 2018	31,906
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Year ending March 31, 2019	30,345
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Thereafter	345,697
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Total minimum lease payments	590,896
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Less: amounts representing interest	-210,097
Capital Lease Obligation Minimum Lease Payments, Ending balance	$380,799

Capital_lease_obligations_Deta1

Capital lease obligations (Details Textual)	3 Months Ended				12 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2011
	USD ($)	USD ($)	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]
			USD ($)	CNY	USD ($)	CNY
Schedule Of Capital Leased Obligation [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'
Capital Lease Agreement Term	'	'	'	'	'20 years	'20 years
Classification Of Lease, Percentage Base	'	'	'	'	75.00%	75.00%
Unified Management Agreement, Percentage Of Pretax Profit	'	'	40.00%	40.00%	40.00%	40.00%
Unified Management Agreement, Cost Of Asset	'	'	$2.30	14.6	$2.30	14.6
Interest Expense On Minimum Lease Payments	$5.40	$5.10	'	'	'	'

Other_income_expense_Details_T

Other income (expense) (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Lease income	$546	$532	$2,158

Taxes_Details

Taxes (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'
Current	$5	$71
Deferred	0	0
Total provision for income taxes	$5	$71

Taxes_Details_1

Taxes (Details 1) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'
Beginning balance	$97,569	$72,891
Current period addition	4,129	23,293
Current period reversal	-155	-1,206
Deconsolidation of Tongxing	0	0
Exchange difference	-865	2,591
Ending balance	$100,678	$97,569

Taxes_Details_2

Taxes (Details 2) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'
VAT taxes payable	$4,472	$2,211
Income taxes payable	164	173
Misc. taxes	2,640	2,244
Totals	$7,276	$4,628

Taxes_Details_Textual

Taxes (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Preferential Tax Rate	15.00%	'	'	'
Deferred Tax Assets, Operating Loss Carryforwards, Subject to Expiration	$533,000,000	'	'	'
Value Added Tax Receivable	12,100,000	'	3,500,000	'
Value Added Tax On Sales	152,900,000	183,200,000	'	'
Value Added Tax On Purchases	151,900,000	183,800,000	'	'
Deferred Tax Assets, Valuation Allowance	100,678,000	'	97,569,000	72,891,000
Tax Initiative Extension Period	'10 years	'	'	'
Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance Percentage	100.00%	'	'	'
Deferred Tax Assets Valuation Period	'5 years	'	'	'
UNITED STATES	'	'	'	'
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Valuation Allowance, Deferred Tax Asset, Change in Amount	100,000	'	'	'
Deferred Tax Assets, Valuation Allowance	$800,000	'	'	'
Operating Loss Carryforwards, Date Expiration	'The net operating loss carry forwards for United States income taxes amounted to $2.3 million, which may be available to reduce future years’ taxable income. These carry forwards will expire, if not utilized, starting from 2026 through 2033.	'	'	'
Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance Percentage	100.00%	'	'	'
Subsidiaries [Member]	'	'	'	'
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent, Total	25.00%	'	'	'
Subsidiaries [Member] | Longmen Joint Venture [Member]	'	'	'	'
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Percent, Total	15.00%	'	'	'
Maximum [Member]	'	'	'	'
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Value Added Tax Rate	17.00%	'	'	'
Minimum [Member]	'	'	'	'
Taxes [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Value Added Tax Rate	13.00%	'	'	'

Income_loss_per_share_Details

Income (loss) per share (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Income (loss) attributable to holders of common stock	($43,564)	$3,103
Basic and diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding (in shares)	55,813	54,805
Earnings (loss) per share	'	'
Basic and diluted	($0.78)	$0.06

Income_loss_per_share_Details_

Income (loss) per share (Details Textual)	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Warrants Exercisable	0	3,900,871

Related_party_transactions_and2

Related party transactions and balances (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Machinery	$618,559	$623,895
Less: accumulated depreciation	-84,250	-77,086
Carrying value of leased assets	534,309	546,809
Shaanxi Coal and Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Machinery	600,658	605,839
Less: accumulated depreciation	-83,216	-76,740
Carrying value of leased assets	$517,442	$529,099

Related_party_transactions_and3

Related party transactions and balances (Details 1) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Revenue from Related Parties	$82,206		$148,860
Long Steel Group [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture		'
Revenue from Related Parties	44,800		80,675
Sichuan Yutai Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group	[1]	'
Revenue from Related Parties	0	[1]	72	[1]
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group		'
Revenue from Related Parties	0		14,435
Shaanxi Haiyan Trade Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group		'
Revenue from Related Parties	15		10,592
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group		'
Revenue from Related Parties	20,736		18,286
Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group		'
Revenue from Related Parties	471		963
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel		'
Revenue from Related Parties	4,969		1,834
Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Subsidiary of Long Steel Group		'
Revenue from Related Parties	6,618		1,999
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Investee of Long Steel Group		'
Revenue from Related Parties	$4,597		$20,004
[1]	Long Steel Group has the ability to significantly influence the operating and financial decisions of the entity through equity ownership either directly or through key employees, commercial contractual terms, or the ability to assign management personnel.

Related_party_transactions_and4

Related party transactions and balances (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	$259,004	$193,385
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	151,772	104,493
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	27,919	0
Tianjin General Qiugang Pipe Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	4,275	0
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	44,088	63,798
Xi'an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	904	11,755
Shaanxi Long Steel Group Baoji Steel Rolling Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Subsidiary of Long Steel Group	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	0	53
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Investee of Long Steel Group	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	0	210
Shaanxi Huafu New Energy Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by the Long Steel Group	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	6,660	9,529
Beijing Daishang Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	0	3,477
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Investee of General Steel (China)	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	23,339	0
Others [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management	'
Related Party Transaction, Purchases from Related Party	$47	$70

Related_party_transactions_and5

Related party transactions and balances (Details 3) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Loans receivable - related parties	$4,540		$4,540
Teamlink Investment Co Ltd [Member]	'		'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'		'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	[1]	'
Loans receivable - related parties	$4,540	[1]	$4,540	[1]
[1]	The CEO is referred to herein as the chief executive officer of General Steel Holdings, Inc.

Related_party_transactions_and6

Related party transactions and balances (Details 4) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Accounts Receivable, Related Parties, Current	$4,474	$2,942
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Accounts Receivable, Related Parties, Current	2,633	548
Tianjin Daqiuzhuang Steel Plates [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Accounts Receivable, Related Parties, Current	19	19
Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Accounts Receivable, Related Parties, Current	1,816	1,741
Others [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management	'
Accounts Receivable, Related Parties, Current	$6	$634

Related_party_transactions_and7

Related party transactions and balances (Details 5) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Other receivables - related parties	$57,854	$54,106
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Other receivables - related parties	702	406
Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Other receivables - related parties	47,238	46,439
Tianjin General Quigang Pipe Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other receivables - related parties	1,237	1,247
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other receivables - related parties	484	491
Beijing Shenhua Xinyuan Metal Materials Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other receivables - related parties	4,859	4,901
Others [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management	'
Other receivables - related parties	803	622
Victory Energy Resource Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other receivables - related parties	$2,531	$0

Related_party_transactions_and8

Related party transactions and balances (Details 6) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	$120,426	$83,003
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Investee of General Steel (China)	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	3,490	0
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	0	9,123
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	0	25,607
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	26,049	10,343
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	60,849	16,158
Tianjin General Qiugang Pipe Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	30,018	555
Maoming Shengze Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	0	21,197
Others [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management	'
Advances on inventory purchase - related parties	$20	$20

Related_party_transactions_and9

Related party transactions and balances (Details 7) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Accounts payable - related parties	$282,540	$235,692
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Accounts payable - related parties	71,047	58,163
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Accounts payable - related parties	176,347	134,758
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel	'
Accounts payable - related parties	21,814	29,990
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Accounts payable - related parties	7,528	958
Xi'an Pinghe Metallurgical Raw Material Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Accounts payable - related parties	4,429	8,714
Henan Xinmi Kanghua Fire Refractory Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary	'
Accounts payable - related parties	641	716
Beijing Daishang Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture’s subsidiary	'
Accounts payable - related parties	36	1,004
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Investee of General Steel (China)	'
Accounts payable - related parties	0	759
Others [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management	'
Accounts payable - related parties	$696	$630

Recovered_Sheet8

Related party transactions and balances (Details 8) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Short term loans - related parties	$105,080	$126,693
Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Short term loans - related parties	73,035	49,110
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel	'
Short term loans - related parties	22,169	28,216
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Short term loans - related parties	0	33,183
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Short term loans - related parties	8,431	8,178
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Short term loans - related parties	0	6,548
Yangpu Capital Automobile [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Short term loans - related parties	$1,445	$1,458

Recovered_Sheet9

Related party transactions and balances (Details 9) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Current maturities of long-term loans - related parties	$57,428	$53,013
Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Current maturities of long-term loans - related parties	$57,428	$53,013

Recovered_Sheet10

Related party transactions and balances (Details 10) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Other payables - related parties	$80,694	$94,079
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other payables - related parties	377	380
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Other payables - related parties	31,861	43,636
Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Other payables - related parties	43,983	44,363
Wendlar Investment Management Group Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Common control under CEO	'
Other payables - related parties	900	895
Yangpu Capital Automobile [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other payables - related parties	325	291
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other payables - related parties	469	473
Maoming Shengze Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other payables - related parties	2,248	1,745
Victory Energy Resource Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Partially owned by CEO through indirect shareholding	'
Other payables - related parties	0	1,375
Others [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management	'
Other payables - related parties	$531	$921

Recovered_Sheet11

Related party transactions and balances (Details 11) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Customer deposits - related parties	$145,366	$64,881
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group	'
Customer deposits - related parties	10	10
Shaanxi Coal and Chemical Industry Group Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Shareholder of Shaanxi Steel	'
Customer deposits - related parties	1,967	0
Long Steel Group [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Noncontrolling shareholder of Longmen Joint Venture	'
Customer deposits - related parties	20,978	15,038
Shaanxi Junlong Rolling Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Investee of Long Steel Group	'
Customer deposits - related parties	4,065	2,748
Shaanxi Shenganda Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group	'
Customer deposits - related parties	0	275
Tianwu General Steel Material Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Investee of General Steel (China)	'
Customer deposits - related parties	118,346	46,521
Others [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Entities either owned or have significant influence by our affiliates or management	'
Customer deposits - related parties	$0	$289

Recovered_Sheet12

Related party transactions and balances (Details 12) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties	$1,980	$1,997
Gansu Yulong Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group	'
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties	1,396	1,408
Shaanxi Yuchang Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Significant influence by Long Steel Group	'
Deposit due to sales representatives - related parties	$584	$589

Recovered_Sheet13

Related party transactions and balances (Details 13) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Long-term loans - related party	$14,607	$19,644
Shaanxi Steel [Member]	'	'
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'
Related Party Relationship	'Majority shareholder of Long Steel Group	'
Long-term loans - related party	$14,607	$19,644

Recovered_Sheet14

Related party transactions and balances (Details 14) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2013
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'
Beginning balance	$77,444	$77,199	$77,199
Less: Lease income realized	-546	-532	-2,158
Exchange rate effect	-658	'	2,403
Ending balance	76,240	'	77,444
Current portion	-2,168	-500	-2,187
Noncurrent portion	$74,072	'	$75,257

Recovered_Sheet15

Related party transactions and balances (Details Textual)	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Dec. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Nov. 19, 2013	Nov. 19, 2013
	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Shaanxi Iron and Steel Group [Member]	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]
				USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)	USD ($)	CNY
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Related Party Loans Secured	'	$190.10	$205.80	'	'	'	'	'	'
Capital Leases, Income Statement, Lease Revenue	'	'	'	0.5	0.5	'	'	'	'
Percentage Of Equity Interest Sold	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	28.00%	28.00%
Proceeds From Sale Of Equity Interest	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	13.6	84.3
Percentage Of Equity Interest Retained	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	32.00%	32.00%
Gain On Equity Interest Deconsolidate	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1	'
Equity Method Investments	'	'	'	'	'	15.6	15.8	'	'
Cost Of Goods Sold From Related Parties	$33.30	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'

Equity_Details_Textual

Equity (Details Textual) (Consultant [Member], USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2014
Consultant [Member]	'
Exercise Price Of Common Stock	$1.01
Stock Issued During Period, Shares, Issued for Services	80,000

Retirement_plan_Details_Textua

Retirement plan (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Defined Contribution Plan Employer Matching Contribution Percent Criteria One	20.00%	'
Defined Contribution Plan Employer Matching Contribution Percent Criteria Two	12.00%	'
Pension Expense	$2.80	$2.20
Defined Contribution Plan, Maximum Annual Contributions Per Employee, Percent	8.00%	'

Statutory_reserves_Details_Tex

Statutory reserves (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Contributions To Statutory Reserve Fund Percentage	10.00%	'
Maximum Percentage Of Reserve Fund Balance	50.00%	'
Minimum Percentage Of Reserve Fund Balance	25.00%	'
Contributions To Special Reserve	$0.30	$0.20
Utilisation Of Special Reserve	$0.10	$0.10

Commitment_and_contingencies_D

Commitment and contingencies (Details) (USD $)	Mar. 31, 2014
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
2015	$1,243
2016	568
2017	568
2018	568
2019	568
Years after	19,744
Total minimum payments required	$23,259

Commitment_and_contingencies_D1

Commitment and contingencies (Details 1) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	$274,490
Line of credit [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	177,353
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from April 2014 to August 2015
Three-party financing agreements [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	4,869
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'July 2014
Confirming storage [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	41,549
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from April to September 2014
Financing by the rights of goods delivery in future [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	$50,719
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from April to October 2014

Commitment_and_contingencies_D2

Commitment and contingencies (Details 2) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	$274,490
Xi'an Laisheng Logistics Co., Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	11,767
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from May to August 2014
Xi'an Kaiyuan Steel Sales Co., Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	6,492
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'January 2015
Hancheng Sanli Furnace Burden Co., Ltd. [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	16,230
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'March 2015
Jinmen Desheng Metallurty Co., Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	19,475
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from August to September 2014
Shaanxi Anlin Logistics Co., Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	6,492
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'April 2014
Shaanxi Longan Industrial Development Co., Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	8,115
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'December 2014
Shaanxi Xingyuan Materials Co., Ltd. [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	2,435
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'July 2014
Long Steel Group [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	55,182
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from September 2014 to August 2015
Hancheng Haiyan Coking Co Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	44,795
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from April to December 2014
Tianjin Dazhan Industry Co Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	44,633
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from June 2014 to March 2015
Tianjin Hengying Trading Co Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	40,575
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from July 2014 to January 2015
Long Steel Group Fuping Rolling Steel Co Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	6,938
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'Various from April to June 2014
Shaanxi Tianyi Metal Materials Co., Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	6,492
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'December 2014
Tianjin Qiu Steel Pipe Industry Co Ltd [Member]	'
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'
Guarantor Obligations, Current Carrying Value	$4,869
Guaranty Obligations, Guaranty Due Date	'April 2014

Commitment_and_contingencies_D3

Commitment and contingencies (Details Textual) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Commitment And Contingencies [Line Items]	'	'
Operating Leases, Rent Expense	$0.90	$0.80
Contractual Obligation	$338.20	'

Segments_Details

Segments (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Mar. 31, 2014		Mar. 31, 2013		Dec. 31, 2013
Sales:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Information, Revenue for Reportable Segment	$594,265		$697,006		'
Interdivisional Sales Revenue	-54		-45,715		'
TOTAL SALES	594,211		651,291		'
Gross profit:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Gross Profit Loss	-22,561		4,067		'
Interdivision Gross Profit Loss	0		0		'
GROSS PROFIT	-22,561		4,067		'
Income (loss) from operations:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss From Operations	-42,426		32,971		'
Interdivision income (loss) from operations	0		0		'
Reconciling item	-1,237	[1]	-1,080	[1]	'
INCOME (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS	-43,663		31,891		'
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss Net	-42,449		4,109		'
Interdivision net income	0		0		'
Reconciling item (1)	-1,115	[1]	-1,006	[1]	'
NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO GENERAL STEEL HOLDINGS, INC.	-43,564		3,103		'
Depreciation and amortization:	'		'		'
Depreciation, amortization and depletion	24,346		21,358		'
Finance/interest expenses:	'		'		'
Interdivision Interest Expense	0		0		'
Reconciling item	95	[1]	1	[1]	'
Finance/interest expenses	28,695		24,857		'
Capital expenditures:	'		'		'
Consolidated capital expenditures	0	[1]	0	[1]	'
Equipment purchase and intangible assets	56,861		24,093		'
ASSETS	'		'		'
Interdivision Assets	-33,930		'		-34,213
Reconciling item	8,311	[2]	'		5,817	[2]
TOTAL ASSETS	2,701,512		'		2,700,358
Longmen Joint Venture [Member]	'		'		'
Sales:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Information, Revenue for Reportable Segment	594,014		646,748		'
Gross profit:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Gross Profit Loss	-22,219		4,367		'
Income (loss) from operations:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss From Operations	-39,294		34,937		'
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss Net	-38,034		8,325		'
Depreciation and amortization:	'		'		'
Depreciation, amortization and depletion	23,530		20,431		'
Finance/interest expenses:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Finance Interest Expense	26,990		22,150		'
Capital expenditures:	'		'		'
Consolidated capital expenditures	56,747		24,083		'
ASSETS	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Assets	2,512,090		'		2,573,212
Maoming Hengda Steel Company Ltd [Member]	'		'		'
Sales:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Information, Revenue for Reportable Segment	36		1,523		'
Gross profit:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Gross Profit Loss	24		-228		'
Income (loss) from operations:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss From Operations	-522		-797		'
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss Net	-537		-771		'
Depreciation and amortization:	'		'		'
Depreciation, amortization and depletion	304		311		'
Finance/interest expenses:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Finance Interest Expense	'		0		'
Capital expenditures:	'		'		'
Consolidated capital expenditures	32		2		'
ASSETS	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Assets	28,278		'		29,211
Baotou Steel Pipe Joint Venture [Member]	'		'		'
Sales:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Information, Revenue for Reportable Segment	162		9		'
Gross profit:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Gross Profit Loss	-23		-78		'
Income (loss) from operations:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss From Operations	-44		-361		'
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss Net	-35		-289		'
Depreciation and amortization:	'		'		'
Depreciation, amortization and depletion	62		97		'
Finance/interest expenses:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Finance Interest Expense	1		0		'
Capital expenditures:	'		'		'
Consolidated capital expenditures	0		7		'
ASSETS	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Assets	4,122		'		4,448
General Steel (China) Tianwu Joint Venture [Member]	'		'		'
Sales:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Information, Revenue for Reportable Segment	53		48,726		'
Gross profit:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Gross Profit Loss	-343		6		'
Income (loss) from operations:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss From Operations	-2,566		-808		'
Net income (loss) attributable to General Steel Holdings, Inc.:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Income Loss Net	-3,843		-3,156		'
Depreciation and amortization:	'		'		'
Depreciation, amortization and depletion	450		519		'
Finance/interest expenses:	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Finance Interest Expense	1,609		2,706		'
Capital expenditures:	'		'		'
Consolidated capital expenditures	82		1		'
ASSETS	'		'		'
Segment Reporting Assets	$182,641		'		$121,883
[1]	Reconciling item represents the unallocated income or expenses of the Company, arising from General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel for the three months ended March 31, 2014 and 2013.
[2]	Reconciling item represents assets held at General Steel Holdings, Inc., General Steel Investment Co., Ltd, Yangpu Shengtong Investment Co., Ltd and Qiu Steel as of March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.