Page 2 - Steel Imports

Steel prices hit 5 yr low; weak trend may persist in near term: BigMint

Domestic steel prices have slumped to a five-year low, trading in the range of Rs 47,000-?48,000 per tonne impacted by multiple factors, including surging imports, as per market data from BigMint. Hot rolled coil (HRC) prices are hovering around Rs 47,150 per tonne, while re-bar (TMT) is quoted in the range of Rs 46,500-47,000 per tonne in the wholesale market. The last time prices were at such levels was in 2020, when HRC was trading at Rs 46,000/tonne levels and rebar at Rs 45,000/tonne amid the pandemic slowdown. The current decline is largely attributed to weak export demand, rising imports, and an oversupply in the global market. India's steel exports have fallen sharply, pressured by aggressive export pushes from countries like China, while imports are still active, despite several measures introduced by the government. Falling prices amid rising imports is a matter of concern as inbound shipments are increasing despite several measures introduced by the government. Taking

RBI warns cheap steel imports, dumping threaten India's domestic producers

India's steel imports rose 22 per cent in 2023-24 due to cheaper global prices, but growth slowed in the second half of 2024-25 after safeguard duties were imposed to curb dumping

EU steel duty plan: A double whammy ahead for Indian steelmakers in 2026?

The EU's plan to halve import quotas and impose a 50 per cent tariff, combined with CBAM rollout, could deliver a double blow to Indian steelmakers next year

India was net importer of finished steel in September, govt data shows

India exported 0.58 million metric tonnes of finished steel in September, up 47.6 per cent on the year, according to the data

Safeguard duty on steel: More than a safety net, but is it enough?

Can the safeguard duty on steel be more than a safety net, and is it enough when other countries are also stepping up to protect their interests?

DGTR suggests safeguard duty on imports of some steel items for 3 years

The commerce ministry's arm, DGTR, has recommended final imposition of a safeguard duty on imports of certain flat steel products for three years to protect domestic manufacturers from sudden jump in the inbound shipments. The duty was recommended by the directorate general of trade remedies (DGTR) in its final findings of a probe initiated on a complaint by the Indian Steel Association. Based on the preliminary findings, the government in April has already imposed a provisional 12 per cent safeguard duty for 200 days. Now in its final findings, the DGTR has concluded "that there is a recent, sudden, sharp and significant increase in imports of PUC (product under consideration) into India at the cumulative level as a result of unforeseen developments...and threaten to cause serious injury to the domestic industry/producers," the DGTR has said in a notification. It has recommended a 12 per cent duty in the first year, 11.5 per cent in the second, and 11 per cent in the third year.

Steel ministry defers quality rules on imports amid importer concerns

India's steel ministry has delayed BIS certification rules on steel imports by four months, offering relief to importers facing compliance hurdles and protecting in-transit shipments from disruption

Apr-May finished steel imports fall 27.6% as China, Japan shipments decline

India was a net importer of finished steel during the period, with exports falling 18.1 per cent year-on-year to 0.8 million metric tonnes

Jindal seeks duties on steel imports to shield MSMEs, boost Make in India

Jindal Stainless Chairman Ratan Jindal on Wednesday urged the government to protect the industry and livelihood of people by imposing appropriate duties on surging imports from select countries. The industry leader made the remarks while addressing the Global Stainless Steel Summit (2025) in Mumbai. "Today, low-priced imports from China and Vietnam persist across numerous industries, including stainless steel. In this context, it is essential that we collectively take a stand to protect our industry, particularly MSMEs, and the livelihood of our people, by imposing appropriate duties on these countries. I request the government's continuous support in this regard," he said while addressing the gathering. Jindal said many countries with excess production disrupt the level-playing field, particularly for the MSME sector. They divert surplus stainless steel through nations with free trade agreements with India or through ASEAN countries like Vietnam. "We have all witnessed how Indian

US tariffs on steel, aluminium to have minor impact on India, says minister

Steel and Heavy Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy's reaction comes even as industry leaders have raised concerns about potential trade diversions due to Trump tariffs

India's finished steel imports fall 11.3% in Apr on slower China shipments

Finished steel shipments from China fell to 0.1 million metric tons in April, down 26.5 per cent from a year ago

Govt protecting local steel players from dumping, low prices: Piyush Goyal

India is poised to contribute significantly to global steel demand, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday while emphasising that the government has been able to protect the domestic steel industry from unfair dumping and irrationally low pricing. Speaking on the sidelines of the Steel India 2025 event here, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Steel and industry body Ficci, Goyal also said both exporters and the MSME sector will continue to get steel at international prices. "India is consistently focused on self-reliance (Atmanirbharta). But when we talk about Atmanirbharta, we are not closing the doors to the world. We are in fact opening the doors wider because every country will have its competitive advantages for different products," he said. The Indian steel industry is a very highly efficient and cost-effective, high-quality producer, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister said. "Therefore we believe that this is one sector where we will not only meet the growing needs o

Safeguard duty to curb influx of steel import from select countries: ISA

The government's decision to impose a 12 per cent provisional safeguard duty on imported flat steel products will help curb "the influx of cheap imports, primarily from China, South Korea, and Japan", the Indian Steel Association (ISA) said on Wednesday. According to the industry body, these countries alone contributed around 78 per cent to the overall imports in FY25. "This measure aims to curb the influx of cheap steel imports, primarily from China, South Korea, and Japan," the ISA said in a statement. Further, ISA said India became a net importer of finished steel for the second consecutive year, with imports reaching a nine-year high of 9.5 million metric tonnes in 2024-25. ISA said that the DGTR has recommended this duty following an investigation initiated in December 2024. The probe revealed that the sharp increase in imports of non-alloy and alloy steel flat products was causing significant injury to domestic producers, it said. "We are grateful for the government's decis

Safeguard duty of 12% on steel may halt imports, hit MSMEs, says GTRI

Imposition of 12 per cent safeguard duty on five steel product categories may halt their imports and force importers to buy these goods from domestic players, who are likely to raise prices following the levy, think tank GTRI said on Tuesday. It said since Indian producers can not meet demand for specialised steels like abrasion-resistant plates, imports are essential but the new safeguard duty could raise input costs by 8-10 per cent, just like the recent hikes by local steel mills. The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that "12 per cent safeguard duties with high threshold values, is expected to halt most imports, effectively forcing buyers to shift to domestic suppliers. Indian steel companies are likely to exploit this policy to raise prices further, a trend already evident with an 8-10 per cent price increase seen in recent months following news of the safeguard proposal." It raised concerns that the DGTR (Directorate General of Trade Remedies) recommended these duti

US tariffs may shift trade, increase India's steel import risk: Sail chair

The imposition of higher tariffs by the US may change the global "trade flows", increasing the chances of India becoming more vulnerable to steel imports, SAIL Chairman Amarendu Prakash said on Wednesday. The Donald Trump administration has proposed a 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports into the US and also announced imposing reciprocal tariffs on all its trading partners including India with effect from April 2. Responding to a query on the US tariff moves, Prakash said it may change the trade flows. Traditionally steel has been travelling (exporting) from Asian countries to the US and Europe. Some steel was being exported to the US from Europe. Once the reciprocal tariffs take effect, such exports would become unviable. "That will mean Asian countries -- China, South Korea, Japan -- that are exporting to Europe, that steel becomes free and will be floating around in the world. This floating trade might come to India," he said. When asked if the tariff will imp

India's April-February finished steel imports up nearly 16%: Govt data

Last month, India recommended a 12 per cent temporary tax on certain steel products for 200 days, known as a safeguard duty

EU proposes cutting steel imports by 15% from April as Trump tariffs bite

European steel producers already battling high energy prices and competition from Asia and elsewhere warn that the EU risks becoming a dumping ground for cheap steel diverted from the US

New quality norms for steel parts may hurt small manufacturers: Think tank

Steel fasteners are critical for stability, durability, and safety across various industrial sectors

Govt gets 73 applications under 2nd round of PLI for speciality steel

The government has received 73 applications under the second round of production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for specialty steel, Sandeep Poundrik, secretary in the Union steel ministry, said on Wednesday. The PLI schemes were launched as part of government's efforts to increase production of special steel in India to make the country self-reliant in high grade steel, the official said on the sidelines of 'Catalyzing R&D in Indian Steel Sector' event in the national capital. "We are ensuring that substandard steel is not imported into the country. So we are focusing on quality control orders so that both domestic and imported steel is of adequate quality and the products sold here are of adequate quality," he said. In addition to that the government launched two rounds of PLI. "We recently did a second round of PLI and we have received very good response in that. We have received 73 applications, 73 projects applications and this will add about 16.5 million tonnes of specialty ..

Nomura bullish on Indian steel industry; maintains 'Buy' on JSW Steel, JSPL

Nomura has set a target price of Rs 1,220 and Rs 1,080 for JSW Steel and JSPL, respectively.