MELBOURNE, Aug 18 – BlueScope Steel Ltd, Australia’s largest steel maker, posted 27 percent growth in annual underlying profit on Monday, boosted by robust global demand, and predicted a strong result for the next six months.

BlueScope, which makes flat-steel products for building and construction, said net profit before one-off items rose to A$816 million ($710 million) for the year ended June 30, from A$643 million a year ago.