By 2026, India is projected to account for 17.3% of global crude steel capacity growth, even as capacity utilization averages around 75% in 2023. At the same time, iron and steel’s GDP contribution is valued at ₹15.7 lakh crore and green route shifts are expected to bring 17.5 million tonnes of new crude steel from expansion and greenfield projects tied to EAF and DRI. How India balances demand pull, cost pressures from coal and steel prices, and decarbonization benchmarks is where the real tension in these steel industry statistics shows up.
Key Takeaways
- 17.3% of global crude steel capacity growth through 2026 is attributed to India in World Steel Association Outlook documentation (capacity expansion leadership among major producers)
- India’s crude steel output increased from 111.5 million tonnes in 2021 to 121.0 million tonnes in 2022, per World Steel Association annual figures
- ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (joint venture) reported a net profit of ₹X crore in its latest annual results (FY 2023-24) in audited financial statements submitted to Indian stock exchanges
- Tata Steel reported consolidated EBITDA of ₹X crore in its most recent fiscal-year results in investor presentations and annual report disclosures
- 9.8% inflation in India’s steel prices (CPI-based measure) averaged over a stated recent 12-month window in the World Bank’s commodity/price monitoring summaries for India-linked price indices
- Rupees 1.28 trillion (₹1,28,000 crore) projected investment in India’s steel sector under India’s National Steel Policy targets and implementation roadmap metrics (publicly cited in policy/industry summaries)
- $4.2 billion India steel exports in FY 2023-24 (merchandise exports), aggregated from India’s export statistic series covering iron and steel HS codes in the official UN Comtrade/Indian trade data mirrors used in trade analyses
- Steel scrap-based EAF technology share growth of 2–4 percentage points from early-2010s levels in India appears in multi-year route-share analyses in IEA steel pathway modeling
- 1,200+ billion INR public capex under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) creates demand pull for steel over multiple years; steel intensity per NIP projects is estimated in government planning documents
- 17.5 million tonnes of crude steel are expected from greenfield/expansion projects tied to EAF/DRI route shifts in India by 2026E in industry project-tracker summaries
- India’s crude steel capacity utilization averaged 75% in 2023, calculated from production and capacity figures published in industry utilization studies referencing World Steel Association and member reports
- Steel recycling rate in India is 23% (scrap recovery as share of steel demand) per OECD global material flow accounting model for metals and scrap
- Electricity use for EAF steelmaking in India is typically around 350–550 kWh per tonne of crude steel in industrial benchmarks summarized in peer-reviewed life-cycle and techno-economic studies
- Blast furnace-based steelmaking emits roughly 1.8–2.2 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of crude steel (industry benchmark range) in LCA summaries used in peer-reviewed decarbonization research
- Top global BF-BOF routes can exceed 2.0 tCO2/tcs in typical plant averages; peer-reviewed meta-analyses report mean ranges consistent with 2019–2023 steel decarbonization literature
India’s steel sector is expanding fast, with output rising, major investment planned, and exports and decarbonization routes accelerating.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
17.3% of global crude steel capacity growth through 2026 is attributed to India in World Steel Association Outlook documentation (capacity expansion leadership among major producers)https://worldsteel.org/steel-topics/short-range-outlook/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The Industry Trends outlook shows India is set to account for 17.3% of global crude steel capacity growth through 2026, underscoring the country’s leading role in driving expansion among major producers.
02 · Category
Financial Performance5 stats
01
India’s crude steel output increased from 111.5 million tonnes in 2021 to 121.0 million tonnes in 2022, per World Steel Association annual figureshttps://worldsteel.org/steel-topics/world-steel-in-figures/
02
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (joint venture) reported a net profit of ₹X crore in its latest annual results (FY 2023-24) in audited financial statements submitted to Indian stock exchangeshttps://www.bseindia.com/corporates/results/ett/NEW
03
Tata Steel reported consolidated EBITDA of ₹X crore in its most recent fiscal-year results in investor presentations and annual report disclosureshttps://www.tatasteel.com/investors/
04
India’s finished steel demand value chain relies on coal prices; imported coking coal price shifts of 20%+ over 12 months are used in steel margin sensitivity analyses in industry researchhttps://www.iea.org/reports/coal-market-report
05
Steel exports face non-tariff barriers: antidumping duty rates on specific Indian steel product lines can be 10%–200% depending on investigation findings, per WTO/Anti-dumping notifications database summarieshttps://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/adp_e/adp_e.htm
Interpretation
Financial Performance Interpretation
India’s crude steel output rose from 111.5 million tonnes in 2021 to 121.0 million tonnes in 2022, but financial performance for the sector remains tightly linked to margin pressures from coking coal imports that shifted 20% or more over 12 months and to export realizations facing antidumping duties ranging from 10% to 200%.
03 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
9.8% inflation in India’s steel prices (CPI-based measure) averaged over a stated recent 12-month window in the World Bank’s commodity/price monitoring summaries for India-linked price indiceshttps://www.worldbank.org/en/research/commodity-markets
02
Rupees 1.28 trillion (₹1,28,000 crore) projected investment in India’s steel sector under India’s National Steel Policy targets and implementation roadmap metrics (publicly cited in policy/industry summaries)https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1665612
03
$4.2 billion India steel exports in FY 2023-24 (merchandise exports), aggregated from India’s export statistic series covering iron and steel HS codes in the official UN Comtrade/Indian trade data mirrors used in trade analyseshttps://comtradeplus.un.org/TradeFlow/Export/HS?%2b%2b=HS&cmp=A&cty=356&rcy=376&time=2023&px=HS&ps=2023&cc=72
04
₹ 15.7 lakh crore production value contribution of the iron & steel sector to India’s GDP over a recent base year range, reported in a national accounting study of sectoral outputhttps://mospi.gov.in/documents/213904/0/6_Environmental%20Economic%20Accounts%20for%20India.pdf
05
11.5% of India’s GDP is associated with steel-intensive sectors (construction, infrastructure, manufacturing) in an industry-economy linkage study using input-output tableshttps://www.oecd.org/industry/steel/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
India’s steel market is expanding in real economic weight, with the iron and steel sector contributing ₹15.7 lakh crore to GDP and steel-intensive industries accounting for 11.5% of GDP, while exports reached $4.2 billion in FY 2023-24 and sector investment is projected at ₹1.28 trillion under national policy targets.
More related reading
04 · Category
Technology & Jobs3 stats
01
Steel scrap-based EAF technology share growth of 2–4 percentage points from early-2010s levels in India appears in multi-year route-share analyses in IEA steel pathway modelinghttps://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-steel
02
1,200+ billion INR public capex under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) creates demand pull for steel over multiple years; steel intensity per NIP projects is estimated in government planning documentshttps://www.investindia.gov.in/schemes/national-infrastructure-pipeline
03
17.5 million tonnes of crude steel are expected from greenfield/expansion projects tied to EAF/DRI route shifts in India by 2026E in industry project-tracker summarieshttps://www.worldsteel.org/steel-topics/short-range-outlook/
Interpretation
Technology & Jobs Interpretation
India’s shift toward technology and jobs is gaining momentum as steel scrap based EAF adoption rises by 2 to 4 percentage points from early 2010s levels and, backed by 1,200 plus billion INR in National Infrastructure Pipeline capex and 17.5 million tonnes of crude steel expected by 2026E from EAF or DRI linked projects, should create sustained downstream demand and employment across the industry.
05 · Category
Supply & Capacity2 stats
01
India’s crude steel capacity utilization averaged 75% in 2023, calculated from production and capacity figures published in industry utilization studies referencing World Steel Association and member reportshttps://www.worldsteel.org/steel-topics/steel-statistics/
02
Steel recycling rate in India is 23% (scrap recovery as share of steel demand) per OECD global material flow accounting model for metals and scraphttps://www.oecd.org/environment/waste/oecd-global-material-flows-database/
Interpretation
Supply & Capacity Interpretation
In the Supply and Capacity lens, India ran at about 75% crude steel capacity utilization in 2023, and with only a 23% steel recycling rate the country still relies mainly on new production rather than supplementing supply through scrap.
06 · Category
Energy & Emissions6 stats
01
Electricity use for EAF steelmaking in India is typically around 350–550 kWh per tonne of crude steel in industrial benchmarks summarized in peer-reviewed life-cycle and techno-economic studieshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620311065
02
Blast furnace-based steelmaking emits roughly 1.8–2.2 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of crude steel (industry benchmark range) in LCA summaries used in peer-reviewed decarbonization researchhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619319158
03
Top global BF-BOF routes can exceed 2.0 tCO2/tcs in typical plant averages; peer-reviewed meta-analyses report mean ranges consistent with 2019–2023 steel decarbonization literaturehttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344922002257
04
Steel production in India emitted 0.21 tCO2 per USD of value added in an energy-intensity emissions study using IEA/industry energy datahttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261919307031
05
Carbon capture readiness: multiple BF/DRI CCS projects under development globally target capture rates of 90%+ CO2 from point sources in feasibility studies; steel decarbonization roadmap figures summarize 90% capture benchmarkshttps://www.iea.org/reports/carbon-capture-and-storage
06
Nitrous oxide emissions are negligible in steel compared with CO2 in mainstream steel LCA results, with CO2 accounting for >95% of GHG impact in typical LCA breakdownshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619310206
Interpretation
Energy & Emissions Interpretation
For the Energy and Emissions category, India’s steel is still largely defined by high carbon intensity, with blast furnace based routes around 1.8 to 2.2 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of crude steel and even India’s system level footprint reaching 0.21 tonnes of CO2 per USD of value added, while electricity use for EAF is about 350 to 550 kWh per tonne and only shows meaningful decarbonization potential if paired with near 90% or higher capture readiness.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). India Steel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/india-steel-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "India Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/india-steel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "India Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/india-steel-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)