The figures given for British armour-grade steel production rise from 22,000 tons annually in 1936 to 42,000 tons in 1939, with demand still exceeding output. That expansion began with a functioning industry. County-class and other cruiser orders had sustained armour production during restrictions on capital-ship construction. Tank armour demand is judged too small to have maintained an equivalent mass industry. Peacetime orders therefore affected both the starting capacity for rearmament and how much additional production could be achieved within a few years.
Notable Point · 42:45-44:19
Cruiser orders kept armour production alive
Near-doubling armour output still left a shortfall, despite cruiser orders preserving an existing production base.