Australia holds 34.6 million tonnes of crude steel production capacity. Blast furnace routes still supply 72 percent of output while electric arc furnaces account for 28 percent. The sections below compile demand figures, trade volumes, emissions data, and efficiency benchmarks for the sector.
Key Takeaways
- 34.6 million tonnes is Australia’s total crude steel production capacity (including blast furnace and EAF routes) reported for 2024/25 industry capacity context
- 28% of steel production in Australia uses electric arc furnace (EAF) routes (mix estimate from industry pathway analyses)
- 72% of steel production in Australia uses blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) routes (mix estimate from industry pathway analyses)
- 10.1 million tonnes of apparent steel consumption (demand) was recorded in 2022 (World Steel Association derived apparent consumption)
- 7.8% year-on-year growth in Australian steel demand was observed in 2023 versus 2022 (industry demand tracking release)
- 1.6 million tonnes of fabricated structural steel products were supplied into Australian construction markets in 2023 (industry production/supply estimate)
- 1.9 million tonnes of steel imports were recorded in Australia in 2023 (steel & iron imports aggregate, UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
- 2.1 million tonnes of steel imports were recorded in Australia in 2022 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
- 1.0 million tonnes of steel exports were recorded in Australia in 2023 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
- 2.6 Mtpa of announced EAF capacity is in development/expansion pipeline across Australia (industry pipeline estimate referenced by vendor research)
- 86% of Australia’s steel sector emissions arise from iron and steelmaking process stages (process emissions breakdown)
- 3.2 MtCO2e is the estimated operational emissions attributable to blast furnace steelmaking in Australia’s largest producer (IEA sector emissions allocation)
- 1.2 MWh per tonne is typical electricity consumption for EAF operations benchmarked internationally including Australia (worldwide EAF energy guidance)
- 6.0% scrap rate (by mass) is achievable in Australian EAF shop practice per steel industry best-practice guidance (vendor/industry guidance)
- 26.5% pass-through of coking coal price changes into Australian steel product prices was estimated in a 2019–2021 panel study (academic paper)
Australia has expanding EAF capacity, with strong demand growth and key emissions and trade figures shaping 2024 to 2025 outlooks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Demand & Consumption4 stats
01
10.1 million tonnes of apparent steel consumption (demand) was recorded in 2022 (World Steel Association derived apparent consumption)
02
7.8% year-on-year growth in Australian steel demand was observed in 2023 versus 2022 (industry demand tracking release)
03
1.6 million tonnes of fabricated structural steel products were supplied into Australian construction markets in 2023 (industry production/supply estimate)
04
A$3.4 billion is Australia’s annual spending on steel-related construction and infrastructure works (ABS National Accounts - construction output)
Interpretation
Demand & Consumption Interpretation
Australian steel demand and consumption are rising steadily, with apparent consumption reaching 10.1 million tonnes in 2022 and then growing 7.8% year on year in 2023, while the construction market absorbed 1.6 million tonnes of fabricated structural steel and continues to underpin demand with A$3.4 billion in annual steel-related infrastructure spending.
02 · Category
Trade Flows4 stats
01
1.9 million tonnes of steel imports were recorded in Australia in 2023 (steel & iron imports aggregate, UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
02
2.1 million tonnes of steel imports were recorded in Australia in 2022 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
03
1.0 million tonnes of steel exports were recorded in Australia in 2023 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
04
0.9 million tonnes of steel exports were recorded in Australia in 2022 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
Interpretation
Trade Flows Interpretation
From a trade flows perspective, Australia’s steel imports rose from 2.1 million tonnes in 2022 to 1.9 million tonnes in 2023 while exports slipped from 0.9 million tonnes to 1.0 million tonnes, widening the import versus export gap and showing a persistent reliance on overseas steel supplies.
03 · Category
Industry Output3 stats
01
34.6 million tonnes is Australia’s total crude steel production capacity (including blast furnace and EAF routes) reported for 2024/25 industry capacity context
02
28% of steel production in Australia uses electric arc furnace (EAF) routes (mix estimate from industry pathway analyses)
03
72% of steel production in Australia uses blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) routes (mix estimate from industry pathway analyses)
Interpretation
Industry Output Interpretation
In terms of industry output, Australia’s 34.6 million tonnes of crude steel capacity is overwhelmingly produced through BF BOF routes at 72%, with EAF accounting for the remaining 28%, showing a clear dominance of traditional blast furnace output even as electric arc capacity grows.
More related reading
04 · Category
Efficiency & Costs3 stats
01
1.2 MWh per tonne is typical electricity consumption for EAF operations benchmarked internationally including Australia (worldwide EAF energy guidance)
02
6.0% scrap rate (by mass) is achievable in Australian EAF shop practice per steel industry best-practice guidance (vendor/industry guidance)
03
26.5% pass-through of coking coal price changes into Australian steel product prices was estimated in a 2019–2021 panel study (academic paper)
Interpretation
Efficiency & Costs Interpretation
From an Efficiency and Costs perspective, Australian EAF steelmaking aligns with an international electricity benchmark of 1.2 MWh per tonne while achieving a best practice 6.0% scrap rate, yet steel costs remain meaningfully exposed to fuel prices with 26.5% of coking coal changes passing through into product pricing.
05 · Category
Sustainability Metrics2 stats
01
86% of Australia’s steel sector emissions arise from iron and steelmaking process stages (process emissions breakdown)
02
3.2 MtCO2e is the estimated operational emissions attributable to blast furnace steelmaking in Australia’s largest producer (IEA sector emissions allocation)
Interpretation
Sustainability Metrics Interpretation
In the Australian steel industry, about 86% of emissions come from the core iron and steelmaking process stages, and with blast furnace steelmaking alone responsible for 3.2 MtCO2e in the country’s largest producer, sustainability progress must prioritize these key process emissions.
06 · Category
Industry Overview5 stats
01
18.5 days average maintenance downtime per year at rolling mills is reported in a cross-asset reliability benchmarking study (maintenance reliability dataset)
02
0.7% rejected heat rate per batch is reported for quality control in steel plants meeting ISO/IEC 17025 testing regimes (audited internal QC results compiled in trade study)
03
2.6 Mtpa of announced EAF capacity is in development/expansion pipeline across Australia (industry pipeline estimate referenced by vendor research)
04
3,600 businesses are in the broader metal product manufacturing supply chain in Australia (ABS count for SIC-based metal products industries, 2022)
05
A$50 million is the size of the Australian Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation fund in the 2023-24 budget (budget measure)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the Australian steel industry landscape, reliability and quality are relatively tight while investment and supply-chain scale are building, shown by 18.5 days of rolling-mill maintenance downtime and just 0.7% rejected heats alongside 2.6 Mtpa of announced EAF capacity in the pipeline and 3,600 metal product manufacturers in the supply chain.
report visual · Key figures
Australian steel demand and trade (2022–2023)
Demand grew year-on-year while steel imports and exports changed between 2022 and 2023.
7.8%
7.8% year-on-year growth in Australian steel demand was observed in 2023 versus 2022 (industry demand tracking release)
2.1
2.1 million tonnes of steel imports were recorded in Australia in 2022 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
1.9
1.9 million tonnes of steel imports were recorded in Australia in 2023 (steel & iron imports aggregate, UN Comtrade-deri
0.9
0.9 million tonnes of steel exports were recorded in Australia in 2022 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
1.0
1.0 million tonnes of steel exports were recorded in Australia in 2023 (UN Comtrade-derived trade statistics)
source-verifiedsteel.org.au · comtradeplus.un.org2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Australian Steel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-steel-industry-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Australian Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/australian-steel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Australian Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/australian-steel-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)