In 1945 there were 38 furnaces worldwide, each with a capacity of 1 Mt/year. The process was favored in Germany due to the autarky policy of the Nazi regime, which prioritized the use of low-quality domestic iron ore. The transfer of technology between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan led to the Japanese Empire benefiting from this process. Furnaces were installed in the co-prosperity sphere and operated by Japanese technicians. By the eve of the Pacific War, the process was being used in four steelworks in Japan.
After World War II all installations in Germany, China, and North Korea were dismantled, with 29 furnaces sent to the USSR as war reparations. Only the Japanese and Czechoslovakian plants remained functional.
In the 1950s Krupp rebuilt several large furnaces in Spain, Greece, and Germany. The Czechoslovakians were the primary drivers, constructing 16 furnaces and increasing process efficiency. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia reports that over 65 industrial plants, ranging from 60 to 110 meters in length and 3.6 to 4.6 meters in diameter, were constructed between 1930 and 1950. By 1960, 50 furnaces were producing 2 million tons per year in several countries.