New Delhi: Steel sector growth continued in the first quarter of FY2026 as crude steel production, finished steel output and domestic consumption increased. At the same time, the Ministry of Steel advanced digital transformation and green manufacturing initiatives.
The Ministry said crude steel production reached 42.1 million tonnes during April-June 2026, up 3% from the same period last year. Finished steel production rose 5.9% to 41 million tonnes, while finished steel consumption increased 8.3% to 41.6 million tonnes.
Monthly production also improved in June. Crude steel output stood at 14.1 million tonnes, while finished steel production reached 13.8 million tonnes.
Steel prices remained mixed during June. TMT prices fell 4.7% from May, while hot rolled coil, cold rolled coil and galvanised sheet prices also eased month-on-month. However, all major steel products remained higher than their levels a year earlier.
Steel sector growth supported by policy measures
India remained a net importer of finished steel during April-June 2026. Imports increased 49.2% to 2.06 million tonnes, while exports grew 31.4% to 1.59 million tonnes.
Meanwhile, the Ministry promoted digitalisation through its Chintan Shivir on Digitalisation in the Steel Sector. The programme encouraged companies to adopt artificial intelligence, automation, predictive maintenance, digital mining and smart manufacturing.
The Ministry also granted Miniratna Category-I status to MECON Limited, giving the public sector company greater financial and operational autonomy.
In addition, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies launched an anti-dumping investigation into hot-rolled flat steel imports from China, Japan and Russia after complaints of unfair pricing.
State-owned SAIL supplied the entire 5,700 tonnes of special steel used in three newly commissioned Indian Navy vessels. Besides this, NMDC reported iron ore production of 15.10 million tonnes during the first quarter, reflecting strong operational performance.
The country’s steelmaking capacity remained at 221.9 million tonnes per annum. The Ministry said this supports the National Steel Policy target of 300 million tonnes per annum by 2030. JSW Group also began construction of its proposed 2 MTPA integrated steel plant in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh.
Furthermore, SAIL’s Rourkela Steel Plant introduced a carbon dioxide dashboard with full ERP-SAP integration. The initiative aims to strengthen monitoring and accelerate the company’s decarbonisation efforts.
