India: finished steel exports up 36.6% in FY2025-26
India a net steel exporter: data from the first eleven months of the fiscal year
Indian finished steel exports recorded strong growth in the first eleven months of fiscal year 2025–2026 (which in India runs from April to March), signaling a strengthening of the country's presence in international markets.
According to provisional data from the Indian government, as reported by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), between April 2025 and February 2026 overseas shipments of finished steel products reached 6.02 million metric tons, a 36.6% increase compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. Over the same timeframe, finished steel imports fell 37.4% year-over-year, settling at 5.6 million metric tons — a result that has returned India to the position of net exporter of finished steel.
On the production side, India's steel industry continues along an expansion trajectory: in the first eleven months of the fiscal year, crude steel output reached 153.61 million metric tons, growing 11.2% year-over-year. The country reaffirms its position as the world's second-largest crude steel producer, supported by robust domestic demand from the infrastructure, construction, and manufacturing sectors.
Production capacity and new markets: the drivers of India's steel growth
This performance reflects the expansion of production capacity undertaken in recent years by several major domestic steel groups, which has increased the supply available for export in a global environment marked by price volatility and a gradual reorganization of supply chains. The diversification of export markets — with a growing presence in the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia — combined with a simultaneous reduction in import dependency, is helping to strengthen India's standing among the world's leading steel players.
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