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

1. Steel Production & Prices

1a. Production Overview (in Mt)
Production
Aug 2026
Aug 2025
YoY %
Apr-Aug
2026
Apr-Aug
2025
CPLY %
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
Steel
Capacity
Crude Steel
Production
Hot Metal
Production
Sponge Iron
Production
Finished
Steel
Production
Top 7
117.4
39.8
37.5
6.3
36.9
Remaining 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
2026
Apr-Aug
2025
CPLY %
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
2026
Apr-Aug
2025
CPLY %
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
-24.4
Consumption
388.6
431.7
-10.0
2076.1
1848.1
12.3

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

3. Trade Dynamics
3a. Finished Steel - Import & Export
Indicator
Unit
Aug-26
Aug-25
YoY %
Apr-Aug
2026
Apr-Aug
2025
CPLY %
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
Position
India was net importer of finished steel in terms of quantity for the period of Apr-Aug 2026
3b. Top 5 Countries - Finished Steel Import & Export (Apr-Aug 2026)
Rank
Import
Country
Vol.
('000t)
Share
%

Rank
Export
Country
Vol.
('000t)
Share
%
1
China
1110.4
31.8

1
Vietnam
416.0
13.9
2
Korea
1039.3
29.8

2
UAE
389.2
13.0
3
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
Category
Vol.
('000t)
Share
%

Rank
Export
Category
Vol.
('000t)
Share
%
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 Sheets/Coil
555.5
15.9

3
Bars & Rods
384.4
12.9
4
Plates
290.1
8.3

4
GP/GC Sheets/Coil
381.5
12.8
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
(65.5%, 10-40 mm)
₹ 5,250
₹ 5,400
2.9%
NMDC Iron Ore Baila Fines Baila
Fines (64%, 0-10 mm)
₹ 4,500
₹ 4,500
-
MOIL Manganese Ore Lump (Mn
37%, Fe 7.5%)
₹ 17,603
₹ 17,603
-
Scrap - HMS II
₹ 39,970
₹ 43,810
9.6%
5. Key Indices
Index
Jun 2026
Jul 2026
Aug 2026
MoM
Change
YoY
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 Economics

6. 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