India saw a 31.4% y/y increase in rolled steel exports in August

Exports of rolled steel from India fell slightly in August — by 0.7% month-on-month to 0.7 million tonnes. At the same time, compared with August 2025, exports rose by 31.4%. This was reported by BigMint.

Imports of finished rolled steel rose by 2.7% month-on-month and by 7.9% year-on-year, reaching 0.72 million tonnes.

In the first five months of the current financial year (April–August), steel exports rose by 34.1% – to 3 million tonnes; however, imports increased by 29.5% – to 3.5 million tonnes, which meant the country remained a net importer.

In August, steel production in India fell by 1.8% compared with July, to 14.1 million tonnes. The decline was due to a seasonal slowdown in business activity in the country. Production of finished rolled steel in August fell by 3.9% month-on-month to 13.5 million tonnes, whilst remaining at the same level as in August 2025. Domestic consumption of rolled steel fell by 0.5% month-on-month to 14.3 million tonnes. Despite the monthly decline, consumption rose by 3.9% year-on-year, indicating that underlying demand for steel in the country remains robust.

In the first five months of the current financial year (April–August), India’s steel industry showed positive growth. Steel production rose by 1.9% year-on-year – to 70.3 million tonnes, whilst output of finished rolled products increased by 3.8% – to 68.1 million tonnes. Steel consumption rose by 7.0% – to 70.3 million tonnes.

Steel production and consumption in India are expected to recover once the monsoon season has ended. Infrastructure, construction and engineering will remain the main drivers of growth in domestic demand. The trend in domestic prices for steel products will be determined by the pace of the post-monsoon market recovery, import volumes and the balance of domestic supply.

It should be noted that the expansion of steelmaking capacity in India continues to show strong growth. In the first quarter of the 2026/2027 financial year (April–June), the country’s regulatory authorities approved new projects with a combined capacity of 11.6 million tonnes of steel per year, which have received environmental clearance (EC) and construction permits (CTE).

Courtesy : https://gmk.center/