India’s JSW Steel reported consolidated steel output of 2.4 million tonnes in July 2026, up 3% year on year. Output at its Indian plants rose by 4% y/y to 2.34 million tonnes, with capacity utilisation at 87%, while JSW Steel USA produced 0.06 million tonnes, up 13% y/y. The company said that No. 3 blast furnace at its Vijayanagar plant, restarted on 23 June, is currently operating at more than 80% of rated capacity. It also plans to increase total steelmaking capacity from 37.9 million tonnes per year to 54.8 million tonnes over the next four years.

New Zealand Steel has produced its first green steel on the new electric arc furnace (EAF) at its Glenbrook steelworks, just over two years after breaking ground on the project. The new EAF replaces Glenbrook's oxygen steelmaking furnace and two of its four coal-fired kilns, and is expected to cut the facility's greenhouse gas emissions by more than 45%. CEO Robin Davies noted the transition was carried out within a fully operational plant, maintaining uninterrupted output of the site's usual 650,000 mt/year. Sister company Pacific Steel will bring the green steel to market later this year under the PACIFIC™ and PACIFIC DCRB® brand names.

In 2017, China used a hard “June 30” deadline to purge roughly 140 million tonnes of “ground-strip steel” (ditiaogang) capacity. But the furnaces did not disappear. Customs data tells the rest: after the ban, Southeast Asia's share of China's electric-furnace equipment exports climbed as high as 40.6%, and Indonesia's imports rose roughly 19-fold over eight years to become the world's No. 1 destination. The collapse of the State Audit Office tower in Bangkok sounded the first alarm.

August 9, 2026, afternoon — a private steel plant in Ramgarh district suffered a furnace explosion. High-temperature molten metal was ejected, leaving at least nine workers with burn injuries, two of them in critical condition. In terms of single-plant output, this is an incident with virtually no measurable impact on the market. But placed against the backdrop of India's crude steel capacity expanding by 40 million tonnes over three years while utilisation rates have been declining, it points to something else entirely. Viewed within the 2026 timeframe, this incident is not isolated. On January 22 , an explosion in the dedusting chamber of a sponge iron plant in Baloda Bazar, Chhattisgarh killed six workers and injured five; the plant was subsequently sealed by local authorities. On April 6 , in the early hours, a furnace explosion at another private steel plant in the Hesla area of the same Ramgarh district injured nine workers — seven of whom sustained burns covering more than 60% of their body surface area — and ultimately claimed three lives. The state's Labour and Employment Department formed a seven-member investigation panel, and India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took up the case suo motu. On June 8 , a ladle containing approximately 1,500°C of liquid steel exploded in the continuous casting section of Steelmaking Shop No. 1 at the state-owned Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL), killing eight workers on the spot and injuring six; by June 14, the death toll had risen to ten. Public reporting did not name the plant involved in the August incident, but the configuration of private steel mills in Ramgarh district follows a highly templated pattern that allows capacity to be inferred. Taking Jharkhand Ispat in Hesla — within the same district — as a reference: the facility operates four coal-based rotary kilns at 100 tonnes/day on approximately 14 acres, producing 120,000 tonnes/year of sponge iron (DRI), paired with two 12-tonne induction furnaces and a two-strand continuous caster, yielding 72,000 tonnes/year of billets. Aloke Steels and Ramgarh Sponge Iron within the county share the same four-kiln, 100-tonne/day configuration; the latter's expansion plan adds a 350-tonne/day kiln to bring DRI output to 225,000 tonnes/year. A separate pre-feasibility report submitted to the environmental regulator reveals that a mill in Marar village within the same district plans to replace its existing 3-tonne and 6-tonne induction furnaces with three 10-tonne units, lifting billet capacity from 75,000 to 158,400 tonnes/year. Taken together, the typical single-plant billet capacity range for this category of mill runs between 70,000 and 160,000 tonnes/year — which is precisely why this incident will leave no measurable imprint on either national or state-level supply balances, even if melting operations are suspended for several weeks. What genuinely warrants attention is the shifting weight of this capacity tier within the aggregate, and the pace at which it continues to expand. India's Steel Value Chain: Capacity Expanding, Utilisation Declining According to the response submitted by India's Ministry of Steel to the Rajya Sabha on August 8, 2026, national crude steel output rose from 144.3 million tonnes in FY2023-24 to 170.15 million tonnes in FY2025-26, while capacity expanded from 179.51 million tonnes to 220.41 million tonnes over the same period; per capita finished steel consumption climbed from 97.7 kg to 115.7 kg. Yet within the same submission, capacity utilisation slipped from 80.4% to 77.2%. Capacity is growing faster than output — this is the essential starting point for understanding everything that follows. India's secondary steelmaking strategy follows a distinctly different path from that of Western economies. Whereas electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking in developed markets is predominantly scrap-fed, India — constrained by insufficient scrap generation but endowed with abundant iron ore resources — has developed the coal-based DRI paired with induction furnace (DRI-IF) route. India has been the world's largest producer of direct reduced iron (DRI) for multiple consecutive years, with approximately 80% of output coming from coal-based rotary kilns. SMM tracking data shows that India's sponge iron output grew from 34.7 million tonnes in FY2018-19 to 51.5 million tonnes in FY2023-24, a CAGR of 8% — outpacing crude steel's 5% CAGR over the same period — with 71% of FY2023-24 production attributable to SMEs. For the April–September 2025 period, India's sponge iron output reached approximately 29 million tonnes, up 9% year-on-year. Against the backdrop of India's rapid steel industry expansion, it is precisely the smallest enterprises — those with the weakest capital expenditure capacity — that are bearing the highest-risk operational segments. Their capacity has also expanded the fastest over the past year under market incentives: in FY2025-26, India's crude steel capacity grew 10% year-on-year to 233 million tonnes, with induction furnace capacity surging 16% to 91 million tonnes — outpacing the 7% growth in BOF (basic oxygen furnace) capacity and 6% in EAF capacity. When capacity expansion, declining utilisation, and intensifying competition in the long products market converge, the expenditure line items that are typically compressed first are not output volumes — but rather incoming raw material inspection, drying and covered stockyard management, and the replacement frequency of personal protective equipment (PPE). India's steel capacity expansion has outrun its safety carrying capacity. Over three years, installed capacity added 40.9 million tonnes while output grew by only 25.85 million tonnes; utilisation fell from 80.4% to 77.2%. The fastest-expanding segment — sponge iron and induction furnaces — is also the one with the weakest capital expenditure capacity. Under this combination, expenditures that generate no immediate revenue — raw material inspection, stockyard cover, PPE replacement — are readily deferred under competitive pressure. These accidents therefore look less like isolated incidents of bad luck, and more like a predictable by-product of the expansion cycle itself.

Lloyds Metals reported strong Q1 FY27 growth as iron ore production rose 53% y/y to 6.05 million tonnes, while the ramp-up of pellet and DRI capacity strengthened its shift toward integrated steelmaking and increased captive consumption of iron ore.

Hydnum Steel has secured a €150 million investment from COFIDES, Spain’s state-owned development finance institution, to build the Iberian Peninsula’s first eco-friendly steel plant in Puertollano, Ciudad Real. The plant will produce 2.7 million metric tons of steel sheet per year using EAF technology powered by renewable electricity and green hydrogen, thereby reducing emissions by up to 98% compared to conventional steelmaking processes using blast furnaces. This investment is part of a broader €1.5 billion financing package supported by Spain’s PERTE II decarbonization program. The program will help meet the demand for eco-friendly steel while reducing environmental impact.

Indian state-owned miner NMDC Limited reduced its iron ore prices by ₹200 per ton effective August 8, bringing the base price of high-grade lump ore to ₹5,250 per ton and fines to ₹4,500 per ton. This price correction came despite a 31% year-on-year surge in July iron ore production, which reached 4.06 million metric tons as domestic operations scale up to meet regional steelmaking demand.

SAIL has commissioned its first 0.18 MTPA Micro Pellet Plant at Rourkela Steel Plant, enabling the recycling of iron- and steelmaking waste into micro pellets for reuse in blast furnaces, improving resource efficiency and supporting more sustainable steel production.

Glencore reported adjusted EBITDA of US$10.1 billion for the first half of 2026, up 86% year on year and above market expectations of US$9.5 billion. The increase was mainly driven by heightened energy-market volatility resulting from the conflict in the Middle East, which boosted earnings from the company’s commodity marketing and trading business. Adjusted EBIT from its marketing division reached US$3.3 billion, already approaching the upper end of its full-year target range. Adjusted EBITDA from its industrial operations, including mining assets, increased 72% year on year to US$6.5 billion, primarily supported by higher commodity prices. Glencore said it would continue expanding its copper business while retaining coal as a core part of its portfolio. The company expects production growth in the second half of 2026 to be driven mainly by higher steelmaking coal output. Based on prevailing commodity prices and its production outlook for the second half, Glencore expects full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA of approximately US$19.7 billion.

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 5 – At a time when the global ferrous metals sector is undergoing constant restructuring, ASEAN has emerged as a pivotal growth hub for the steel industry, fuelled by robust end-market demand, fast-expanding production capacity and shifting cross-border trade dynamics. Regional infrastructure upgrades, local capacity iteration, and trade policy adjustments are collectively driving ongoing changes in the supply-demand structure, pricing system, and supply chain of the ASEAN steel market. The industry urgently needs a specialized, international dialogue platform to address development pain points and unlock global business opportunities. Against this industry background, a delegation from Shanghai Metals Market (SMM) paid a special visit to the Malaysia Steel Institute (MSI) on August 4, and was warmly welcomed by MSI's team including CEO Ts. Dr. Nurl Muiz, Industry Relations and Liaison Shalini and Data Analyst Shamimi, etc. Both sides introduced their respective development overviews, and engaged in in-depth exchanges on cooperation directions, industry data services, exhibition synergy, and other topics, sorted out areas of cooperation alignment, seeking a long-term and mutually beneficial industry cooperation model. MSI presented its institutional positioning and core functions to SMM. As an industrial service organization under the jurisdiction of Malaysia's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), MSI serves as a key communication bridge between the Malaysian government and the steel industry. Built on a government-enterprise collaboration model, it has been deeply involved in the domestic steel industry for many years, responsible for public services such as industry standard setting, technology R&D, talent cultivation, and detection and testing, undertaking the function of coordinating the steady development of Malaysia's steel industry. Leveraging long-term industry surveys, MSI conducts in-depth market intelligence research on the Southeast Asian steel market, helping member enterprises enhance market competitiveness through data analysis services. The local government is actively advancing the green steel industry development agenda and increasing the green transformation of the steel sector, but enterprise awareness and industry supporting systems on the market side are lagging behind the policy promotion pace. In response, MSI hopes to connect with professional industry platforms to address the industry's development shortcomings, and hopes to rely on SMM's entire industry chain service capabilities to obtain targeted industry development solutions and implementation suggestions, thereby helping the local green steel industry and the entire ferrous metals industry chain achieve steady upgrades. MSI understands and affirms SMM's data service capabilities in the global steel industry, and intends to leverage SMM's industry chain data to improve regular monitoring of steel capacity, production, supply and demand, etc. in Southeast Asia. MSI has long maintained cooperation with multiple international industry organizations. This engagement with SMM aims to jointly enhance the research standards of Malaysia's steel industry and promote high-quality development of the industry. Exhibition-conference synergy is one of the key cooperation directions in this visit. In order to further penetrate the ASEAN metals market, deliver bilateral cooperation outcomes, and build a higher-standard cross-border industry exchange and cooperation bridge, SMM will host the 2026 SMM ASEAN Ferrous Metals Summit from November 26-27, 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The summit focuses on the development trends of the entire ferrous metals industry chain in ASEAN, covering core categories such as steel, iron ore, and coke. It will delve deeply into key industry topics such as steel demand transformation driven by regional infrastructure upgrades, mineral resource development and utilization, cross-border trade and circulation, industrial green transformation, and market price trend forecasts. The summit will bring together mines, steel enterprises, traders, logistics institutions, financial platforms, and industry research experts globally, leveraging SMM's mature industrial data system and market analysis capabilities to provide authoritative market interpretations and efficient upstream-downstream matchmaking channels for participants. MSI expressed that it will provide promotional support for SMM's relevant industry summits, including official channel promotion, invitation of local quality enterprises, and industry resource matchmaking. Both sides reached a preliminary cooperation consensus in terms of exhibition collaboration, brand synergy, and resource sharing. The in-depth engagement with MSI and the cooperation consensus reached will also lay a solid foundation for the successful implementation of this summit, deepening regional industry penetration in the ASEAN region, and releasing regional industrial cooperation value. About the 2026 SMM ASEAN Ferrous Metals Summit This event is the premium platform in the ASEAN ferrous metals market that converge 400+ decision-makers from mines, mills, trading houses, processors, equipment and technology providers, and logistics operators at the same table — precisely when the regional order is being rewritten. Conference Highlights 1. ASEAN Steel Market Outlook An in-depth analysis of regional steel demand, with consumption expected to reach 87.9 million mt in 2026, driven primarily by Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines. 2. China—ASEAN Trade and Supply Chain Restructuring Exploring shifting flows of HRC, billet, slab, and other steel products amid changing supply patterns, trade remedies, and regional market dynamics. 3. Capacity Expansion and Production Transition Examining ASEAN’s evolving steelmaking landscape, including BF-BOF capacity growth, EAF development, overseas investment, and new regional production hubs. 4. Trade Policies and Market Access Assessing anti-dumping measures, tariffs, RCEP-related opportunities, and regulatory changes reshaping steel trade across ASEAN. 5. High-Growth Demand and Product Opportunities Identifying opportunities from infrastructure, construction, automotive, and advanced steel applications, with a focus on Indonesia, Vietnam, and other emerging markets. 6. Executive Networking and Regional Cooperation Connecting leading producers, traders, buyers, investors, associations, policymakers, and industry experts across ASEAN, China, and global markets. Senior Speakers 2026 Scenes from Past Conferences Conference Agenda Contact: Horin Dong WhatsApp: +8618721310824 Email: horindong@smm.cn Scan the QR code for conference details and more discount information About SMM SMM has long been deeply engaged in global commodity industry services, continuously deepening cooperative ties with government and enterprise institutions and industry associations across various countries, and steadily expanding its global industrial service network. Leveraging a mature collaborative model with Indonesian government, enterprises, and associations, SMM has established a comprehensive closed-loop ecosystem for sharing overseas exhibition and conference information, continuously iterating and upgrading its industrial big data system to achieve efficient global market information exchange and joint resource building and sharing. SMM organizes 50+ professional events each year, including industry summits, industry forums, and field trips. Of these, 40 are deeply rooted in the Chinese market, nearly 10 are precisely positioned in core Southeast Asian markets, and a small number cover Europe and Africa. Overseas events have earned global industry recognition thanks to authoritative industry guest lineups, solid industry survey data, and precise supply-demand matchmaking services. SMM has organized a series of high-end summits in Indonesia in cooperation with local authorities such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesia Nickel Miners Association (APNI), gathering 300+ industry elites, and were complemented by professional field trip activities along the overseas industry chain, comprehensively empowering regional industry exchanges and trade matchmaking.