[SMM Steel] Tata Steel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) to co-develop scalable low-carbon steelmaking technologies. The collaboration focuses on four strategic areas: scrap-based steelmaking, steel waste valorization, carbon capture and utilization (CCUS), and end-product performance. By leveraging USTB’s pilot-scale facilities and Tata Steel’s engineering strengths, the partnership aims to accelerate the transition of sustainable metallurgical research into practical industrial applications.

Indonesian steel producer PT Bahagia Steel has partnered with SMS Group to install a new twin-strand rebar production line at its Kampung Wringinanom site. The project is part of a plan to reach a total capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to serve Southeast Asia’s growing infrastructure demand.

State-run NMDC Limited announced on March 13, 2026, that it has reached a historic production milestone of 50 million tonnes (mt) of iron ore in the current financial year. This is the first time an Indian miner has crossed this threshold. The company is currently optimizing mechanized mines in Chhattisgarh and Karnataka to support India’s goal of 300 million tonnes of steel capacity by 2030.

SMM Flash: Today, some of China’s steel export prices were raised by $3-5/mt, with order shipment schedules mostly concentrated in May. Recently, due to a sharp surge in freight rates, traders faced difficulty in making shipments, and HRC order-taking weakened significantly. According to the SMM survey, freight rates to the Middle East were as high as $50-60, while freight rates to Malaysia had also reached $30, and clients outside China showed strong wait-and-see sentiment.

[SMM Stainless Steel Daily Review] SS Futures Fluctuated, Rising First and Then Falling, While Spot Quotes Edged Lower and Transactions Recovered SMM News, March 17: SS futures moved sideways. During the day, SS futures rose first and then fell, overall maintaining a sideways movement pattern, and closed at 14,155 yuan/mt by the midday break. In the spot market, although SS futures were relatively strong in the morning, affected by the previous cuts in guidance prices by major stainless steel mills, trader quotes still edged slightly lower than yesterday. However, market sentiment had stabilized somewhat, and amid the price pullback, both inquiries and transactions increased to some extent. The most-traded SS futures contract fluctuated. As of 10:15 a.m., SS2605 was quoted at 14,220 yuan/mt, up 175 yuan/mt from the previous trading day. Spot premiums for 304/2B in Wuxi stood at 200-400 yuan/mt. In the spot market, the average price of cold-rolled 201/2B coils in Wuxi fell by 50 yuan/mt; for cold-rolled trim-edge 304/2B coils, the average price in Wuxi fell by 50 yuan/mt, and the average price in Foshan also fell by 50 yuan/mt; cold-rolled 316L/2B coils in Wuxi were basically stable; hot-rolled 316L/NO.1 coils were quoted basically stable in Wuxi; cold-rolled 430/2B coils in both Wuxi and Foshan were basically stable. As the traditional peak consumption season of "Golden March and Silver April" began, the stainless steel market entered a window for demand recovery, with downstream end-users gradually recovering. Recently, activity in inquiries and purchases increased markedly, but stainless steel spot prices overall remained basically stable, with no obvious fluctuations. End-user procurement was still mainly driven by rigid demand, and the full bustle of the peak season had yet to emerge, ...

[SMM Nickel Flash] March 17 News. Supply side, some smelters held firm on quotations, but amid the futures decline and stainless steel finished product prices coming under pressure, some traders feared buying at elevated levels. Demand side, terminal demand remained weak and struggled to accept high prices for stainless steel finished products. Meanwhile, the cost advantage of steel scrap widened, and steel mills' willingness to procure high-grade NPI turned sluggish again.

21 Feb 2026, India and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at securing long-term supplies of iron ore and metallurgical coal. The partnership focuses on stabilizing supply chains for Indian mills as they target massive capacity expansions of up to 300 MTPA by 2030

[SMM Analysis] Freight Rates Surge, Making Deals Difficult for Steel Expor ters Affected by the US-Iran conflict, tight energy supply and sharply higher fuel costs, compounded by exchange rate fluctuations, have continuously pushed up China's export offers in recent days. Compared with the beginning of the month (March 6), SMM HRC prices have been raised by $9/mt; galvanizing prices rose by $11/mt; CRC rose by $5/mt; billet rose by $6/mt; and rebar rose by $6/mt. However, looking back at market transaction performance, deals weakened again recently. According to the SMM survey, ocean freight rates surged sharply, with current freight to the Middle East as high as $50-60. Most outside China clients remained on the sidelines; shipowners also refused to commit tonnage while waiting for the market to stabilize. For China exporters, there were offers but no market, making shipments difficult. Meanwhile, market sources said Hadeed, the GCC's only flat steel producer, raised its May hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices, still related to shipping restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz. HRC cargoes previously booked from China and other origins were also being redirected to the west coast, mainly heading to Jeddah Port, bringing high inland transportation costs. As for global steel prices, in India, in addition to rising raw material costs and rupee depreciation, a sudden LNG energy shortage further pushed up production costs, forcing steel mills to maintain a strong willingness to hold prices firm despite the traditional domestic off-season and blocked exports. In the Southeast Asian market, price increases were accepted entirely passively, mainly due to the rigid pass-through of high ocean freight rates by overseas suppliers. Although Southeast Asian buyers hesitated to take orders, they had no choice but to passively accept the increases against the backdrop of persistently high geopolitical logistics costs. At the same time, CIS export offers also rose significantly, benefiting from the intensifying geopolitical conflict in the Middle East and the resulting short-term global supply tightens. In the Middle East market, meanwhile, as war tensions continued to escalate, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz completely disrupted transportation, while freight rates and delivery uncertainty pushed the sheets & plates import markets in the UAE and Saudi Arabia into a complete standstill. Copyright and Intellectual Property Statement: This report is independently created or compiled by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "SMM"), and SMM legally enjoys complete copyright and related intellectual property rights. The copyright, trademark rights, domain name rights, commercial data information property rights, and other related intellectual property rights of all content contained in this report (including but not limited to information, articles, data, charts, pictures, audio, video, logos, advertisements, trademarks, trade names, domain names, layout designs, etc.) are owned or held by SMM or its related right holders. The above rights are strictly protected by relevant laws and regulations of the People's Republic of China, such as the Copyright Law of the People's Republic of China, the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, as well as applicable international treaties. Without prior written authorization from SMM, no institution or individual may: 1. Use all or part of this report in any form (including but not limited to reprinting, modifying, selling, transferring, displaying, translating, compiling, disseminating); 2. Disclose the content of this report to any third party; 3. License or authorize any third party to use the content of this report; 4. For any unauthorized use, SMM will legally pursue the legal responsibilities of the infringer, demanding that they bear legal responsibilities including but not limited to contractual breach liability, returning unjust enrichment, and compensating for direct and indirect economic losses. Data Source Statement: (Except for publicly available information, other data in this report are derived from publicly available information (including but not limited to industry news, seminars, exhibitions, corporate financial reports, brokerage reports, data from the National Bureau of Statistics, customs import and export data, various data published by major associations and institutions, etc.), market exchanges, and comprehensive analysis and reasonable inferences made by the research team based on SMM's internal database models. This information is for reference only and does not constitute decision-making advice. SMM reserves the final interpretation right of the terms in this statement and the right to adjust and modify the content of the statement according to actual circumstances.

[Announcement on Approving the Registration of "Yuanhe" Brand Rebar Produced by Xinyu Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. with Our Exchange] Recently, our exchange received the relevant application materials submitted by Xinyu Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Shanghai Futures Exchange Measures for the Registration and Administration of Steel Delivery Products and other applicable rules, it was decided after deliberation that:

SMM Steel, February 24 – According to SMM statistics, the estimated total shipments to mainstream markets this week reached 302,700 mt, up 50.90% WoW. By market: