India’s crude steel production rose 3.9% year-on-year to 14.1 million tonnes in June 2026, while finished steel consumption climbed 8.3% to 41.6 million tonnes in the April-June quarter, according to provisional data released by the Ministry of Steel on Monday.
Production and prices move in opposite directions
Finished steel production grew 6% year-on-year to 13.8 million tonnes in June, and rose 5.9% to 41 million tonnes for the April-June quarter over the same period last year.
Hot metal production, however, was flat at 7.9 million tonnes in June, down 0.3% year-on-year, though it edged up 1.4% for the quarter to 23.5 million tonnes.
Steel prices fell across categories in June from May. TMT bars (10 mm) dropped 4.7% month-on-month to ₹60,068 per tonne, while GP sheet fell 2.8% to ₹86,505 per tonne.
All four tracked products remained higher than a year earlier, with GP sheet up 15.8% year-on-year, the steepest annual gain among the categories.
India remains a net importer
India stayed a net importer of finished steel by volume in the April-June quarter. Imports rose 49.2% year-on-year to 2.06 million tonnes, valued at ₹20,214.5 crore, while exports grew 31.4% to 1.59 million tonnes, valued at ₹12,475.2 crore.
Policy and capacity moves
The Ministry of Steel granted Miniratna Category-I status to MECON Limited, giving it greater financial and operational autonomy. Separately, the Directorate General of Trade Remedies opened an anti-dumping investigation into hot-rolled flat steel imports from China, Japan and Russia following complaints of unfair pricing.
JSW Group announced the start of construction on a 2 MTPA integrated steel plant in Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh. The country’s total steelmaking capacity held at 221.9 MTPA, against the National Steel Policy’s target of 300 MTPA by 2030.
SAIL supplied 5,700 tonnes of special steel for three Indian Navy vessels commissioned recently: the stealth frigate INS Dhunagiri, the anti-submarine warfare craft INS Agray, and the survey vessel INS Sanshodhak. NMDC reported iron ore production of 5.15 million tonnes in June, up 44% year-on-year, with sales rising 11% to 3.98 million tonnes.
Green steel push continues
SAIL’s Rourkela Steel Plant launched a CO2 Dashboard integrated with its ERP-SAP systems to track decarbonisation efforts, while the Ministry held a Chintan Shivir on June 24 focused on digitalisation, AI adoption and smart manufacturing across the steel sector.
