India's Steel Demand Stays Robust in Apr–Aug 2026

Ministry of Steel India's Steel Demand Stays Robust in Apr–Aug 2026

Posted On: 24 SEP 2026 5:32PM by PIB Delhi

1. Steel Production & Prices 1a. Production Overview (in Mt) Production Aug 2026 Aug 2025 YoY % Apr-Aug Apr-Aug CPLY % 2026 2025 Crude Steel 14.8 14.1 4.6 71.0 69.0 2.8 Hot Metal 8.4 8.1 3.5 40.4 39.2 2.9 Sponge Iron 5.1 5.0 3.0 25.4 24.9 1.9 Finished Steel 13.9 13.4 3.2 68.3 65.6 4.1 1b. Producer wise Production (Apr-Aug 2026) (in Mt) Producer Annual Crude Crude Steel Hot Metal Sponge Iron Finished Steel Production Production Production Steel Capacity Production Top 7 117.4 39.8 37.5 6.3 36.9Remaining producers 105.4 31.2 2.9 19.1 31.4 TOTAL 222.9 71.0 40.4 25.4 68.3 Public Sector Share (%) 13.9 15.7 29.7 0.0 13.5 Top 7 includes SAIL, RINL, NSL, TSL Group, AM/NS, JSL(JSPL), JSW Group Crude Steel Production Distribution for Apr-Aug 2026 1c. Steel Prices (in ₹/tonne) Product Jul-26 Aug-26 Sep-26 MoM % YoY %TMT (10 mm) ₹ 56,698 ₹ 58,002 ₹ 65,298 12.6% 21.0% HR Coil (2 mm) ₹ 69,828 ₹ 70,448 ₹ 76,085 8.0% 26.8% CR Coil (0.63 mm) ₹ 76,582 ₹ 76,462 ₹ 84,972 11.1% 28.8% GP Sheet (0.63 mm) ₹ 86,415 ₹ 86,668 ₹ 94,148 8.6% 27.7%

Note: Prices are inclusive of GST and shown in ₹/tonne, based on average prices from four metro cities—Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai.

1d. Alloy Steel — Production, Import, Export & Consumption (in ‘000t) Indicator Aug 2026 Aug 2025 YoY % Apr-Aug Apr-Aug CPLY % 2026 2025 Production 1092.2 742.6 47.1 4803.5 3670.5 30.9 Import 94.6 103.9 -9.0 513.8 487.1 5.5 Export 56.5 14.6 287.0 178.7 63.3 182.1 Consumption 1081.1 822.0 31.5 5123.7 4116.0 24.5 1e. Stainless Steel — Production, Import, Export & Consumption (in ‘000t) Indicator Aug 2026 Aug 2025 YoY % Apr-Aug Apr-Aug CPLY % 2026 2025 Production 230.3 393.5 -41.5 1616.5 1830.1 -11.7 Import 145.9 85.2 71.3 642.9 320.3 100.7 Export 47.0 42.0 11.9 213.7 282.5 -24.4Consumption 388.6 431.7 -10.0 2076.1 1848.1 12.3

2. Demand (in Mt) Indicator Aug 2026 Aug 2025 YoY % Apr-Aug Apr-Aug CPLY % 2026 2025 Finished Steel 14.6 13.8 5.8 70.5 65.7 7.4 Consumption

3. Trade Dynamics 3a. Finished Steel — Import & Export Indicator Unit Aug-26 Aug-25 YoY % Apr-Aug Apr-Aug CPLY % 2026 2025 Imports ‘000 t 721.1 667.9 8.0 3487.3 2692.8 29.5 Rs Crore 7863.1 6377.6 23.3 36193.9 26172.6 38.3 Exports ‘000 t 693.7 528.2 31.3 2986.0 2226.2 34.1 Rs Crore 5541.2 3914.9 41.5 23646.6 17911.1 32.0 Net Trade India was net importer of finished steel in terms of quantity for the period of Apr- Position Aug 2026 3b. Top 5 Countries — Finished Steel Import & Export (Apr-Aug 2026) Rank Import Vol. Share Rank Export Vol. Share Country (‘000t) % Country (‘000t) % 1 China 1110.4 31.8 1 Vietnam 416.0 13.9 2 Korea 1039.3 29.8 2 UAE 389.2 13.03 Japan 496.6 14.2 3 Italy 289.0 9.7 4 Indonesia 226.1 6.5 4 Belgium 248.7 8.3 5 Vietnam 157.5 4.5 5 Nepal 194.7 6.5 3c. Top Categories — Finished Steel Import & Export (Apr-Aug 2026) Rank Import Vol. Share Rank Export Vol. Share Category (‘000t) % Category (‘000t) % 1 HR Coil/Strip 1275.6 36.6 1 HR Coil/Strip 1169.9 39.2 2 CR Coil/Sheets 624.1 17.9 2 Pipes 431.5 14.4 3 GP/GC 555.5 15.9 3 Bars & Rods 384.4 12.9 Sheets/Coil 4 Plates 290.1 8.3 4 GP/GC 381.5 12.8 Sheets/Coil 5 Bars & Rods 253.5 7.3 5 Plates 269.8 9.0

4. Raw Materials 4a. Domestic Raw Material Prices (₹/tonne) Commodity Aug 2026 Sep 2026 MoM Change NMDC Iron Ore Baila Lump ₹ 5,250 ₹ 5,400 2.9% (65.5%, 10-40 mm) NMDC Iron Ore Baila Fines Baila ₹ 4,500 ₹ 4,500 - Fines (64%, 0-10 mm) MOIL Manganese Ore Lump (Mn ₹ 17,603 ₹ 17,603 - 37%, Fe 7.5%) Scrap — HMS II ₹ 39,970 ₹ 43,810 9.6%5. Key Indices Index Jun 2026 Jul 2026 Aug 2026 MoM YoY Change Change Nifty Metal Index (avg.) 12,971.9 12,556.4 13,181.8 5.0% 41.7% PMI Manufacturing Index 54.2 53.5 52.8 -1.3% -11.0% Baltic Dry Index (avg.) 2,779.9 2,769.9 2,951.1 6.5% 47.5%

Source: NSE, S&P Global, Trading Economics6. Policy Initiatives/Industry Initiatives SAIL recorded strong operational and financial performance in August 2026, with sales rising 13% YoY to 1.87 MT and crude steel production increasing 8% to 1.68 MT. Supplies to Indian Railways reached a record 1.23 lakh tonnes, including 1.12 lakh tonnes of long rails. Cumulative sales during April–August rose 5.6% YoY to 7.71 MT.

SAIL’s IISCO Steel Plant implemented in-house Yard and Roll Management Systems at its Universal Structural Mill, strengthening digitalisation of plant operations. The systems will enhance material traceability, yard and roll management, operational efficiency and transparency, supporting the plant’s digital transformation.

NMDC achieved a major milestone on September 20 with the successful pumping of the first batch of iron ore slurry from Bacheli to Nagarnar through its 135-km slurry pipeline. The project connects the Bailadila–Bacheli Complex with the Nagarnar Pellet Plant, enabling efficient and sustainable iron ore transportation and strengthening the Bastar mineral value chain.

NMDC's Panna Diamond Project produced a 27.29-carat gem-quality diamond, the second-largest ever at the mine, highlighting the company's diversified mining operations alongside its core iron ore business.

7. International Co-operation The Hon'ble Prime Minister of India and the President of the Russian Federation visited the Steel Pavilion set up by the Ministry of Steel at INNOPROM India 2026. Secretary, Ministry of Steel, briefed the leaders on opportunities for India-Russia cooperation across the steel value chain, including raw materials, steel production, specialty steel, advanced technologies, R&D, digitalization, trade, investment and sustainable practices. SAIL, NMDC, MOIL and MECON participated in the pavilion, showcasing India’s capabilities and potential areas of collaboration in the steel sector.

Secretary, Ministry of Steel, met the Ambassador of Norway to India in New Delhi to discuss cooperation in CCUS, green steel, steel trade and R&D, with a focus on low-carbon steel production and technology development.

8. Green Steel Initiatives Under the Ministry of Steel’s Green Steel Initiative, 99 distinct steel producers have been issued Green Steel Certificates across the lists issued up to September 2026. The certification covers products including TMT bars, HR/CR coils, plates, wire rods, pipes and other steel products, with a large majority of certified products receiving 5-star ratings, reflecting the growing adoption of lower-emission steelmaking practices across India’s steel industry.

SAIL’s Environment Management Division conducted a two-day workshop on CO₂ calculations and the CO₂ Emission Monitoring Dashboard at its Management Training Institute, Ranchi. The workshop focused on strengthening capabilities in carbon-emission measurement, monitoring and data management, supporting SAIL’s decarbonisation efforts and environmental performance.

NMDC Steel Limited, Nagarnar, received the 25th Greentech Environment & Sustainability Award 2026 in the Environment Protection category at the Greentech Summit in Jodhpur. The award recognises NMDC’s efforts in environmental stewardship, resource efficiency, carbon-footprint reduction and adoption of sustainable practices in steel production.

Source: Provisional JPC data for Aug 2026. Mt = Million Tonnes; Mtpa = Million Tonnes Per Annum; MoM = Month-on- Month; YoY = Year-on-Year; CPLY = Corresponding Period Last Year *** AG (Release ID: 2314464) Visitor Counter : 260

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