Romania's steel industry generated €4.2 billion in revenue last year while operating at just 55% of its production capacity. This analysis details the sector's output, employment, and financial performance.
Key Takeaways
- Romania's crude steel production capacity is 5.2 million tonnes per year as of 2023, primarily at Galați
- Romania's employment in steel industry was 22,500 direct jobs in 2023
- Steel industry revenue reached €4.2 billion in 2023
- In 2023, Romania's crude steel production totaled 2.85 million metric tons, a 4.1% decline from 2022 due to energy costs
- Steel exports from Romania reached 1.95 million tonnes in 2023, valued at €1.8 billion
Romania’s steel industry shows steady progress, with output and investment strengthening despite market volatility.
Related reading
01 · Category
Capacity25 stats
01
Romania's crude steel production capacity is 5.2 million tonnes per year as of 2023, primarily at Galați
02
ArcelorMittal Galați has a hot strip mill capacity of 3.3 million tonnes annually
03
Liberty Steel Galați's cold rolling mill capacity is 1.2 million tonnes per year post-2023 upgrades
04
Tenaris Silcotub's seamless pipe capacity stands at 700,000 tonnes annually in Zalau
05
Calarasi steelworks has a plate mill capacity of 500,000 tonnes per year for heavy plates
06
Hunedoara steel plant's EAF capacity is 600,000 tonnes of billets annually
07
Romania's total EAF capacity is 2.1 million tonnes as of 2024
08
Galați blast furnaces combined capacity is 4.2 million tonnes of hot metal per year
09
Liberty Steel Oțelu Roșu's rolling mill capacity for long products is 350,000 tonnes/year
10
Donalam Reșița has wire rod capacity of 800,000 tonnes annually
11
Romania's galvanizing line at Galați has 900,000 tonnes capacity
12
Total slab casting capacity in Romania is 3.8 million tonnes per year
13
Tenaris Călărași OCTG pipe capacity is 150,000 tonnes/year
14
Capacity utilization rate for Romanian steel industry was 55% in 2023
15
Galați hot rolling mill utilization reached 78% in 2022
16
National long products capacity totals 2.5 million tonnes/year
17
EAF utilization in Romania averaged 62% in 2023
18
Planned DRI capacity addition of 1 million tonnes by 2025 at Midia
19
Color coating line capacity at Galați is 400,000 tonnes/year
20
Total flat products capacity is 4.8 million tonnes in Romania
21
Rebar rolling capacity across mills is 1.1 million tonnes annually
22
Seamless tube capacity utilization was 82% in 2023 at Tenaris
23
Blast furnace capacity utilization dropped to 68% in 2023 due to maintenance
24
New HRC capacity of 1.5 million tonnes planned at Galați by 2026
25
Wire drawing capacity totals 300,000 tonnes/year in Reșița
Interpretation
Capacity Interpretation
With a respectable total capacity of over 5 million tonnes per year, Romania's steel industry ironically spent 2023 operating at just 55% of its potential, proving it has more built-in brawn than current economic breath.
02 · Category
Employment24 stats
01
Romania's employment in steel industry was 22,500 direct jobs in 2023
02
ArcelorMittal Galați employs 6,800 workers as of 2024
03
Tenaris Romania workforce totals 4,200 employees across three plants in 2023
04
Liberty Steel Galați has 2,100 staff post-restructuring in 2023
05
Steel sector indirect jobs estimated at 50,000 in Romania 2022
06
Average salary in Romanian steel industry is €1,200 net monthly in 2023
07
Hunedoara plant employs 1,200 workers in 2024
08
Female employment ratio in steel is 18% or 4,000 women in 2023
09
Training programs reached 5,000 steel workers in 2022 via ARMMR
10
Youth under 30 employment: 12% or 2,700 in steel sector 2023
11
Overtime hours averaged 150 per worker annually in 2022
12
Calarasi steelworks staff: 850 employees in 2023
13
Union membership covers 85% of steel workers, 19,000 members in 2023
14
Labour productivity per employee: 140 tonnes steel/year in 2022
15
Reșița Donalam employs 950 in wire production 2023
16
Safety incidents: 1.2 per million hours worked in 2023
17
Apprenticeships: 450 new in steel sector 2023
18
Oțelu Roșu plant: 650 workers in 2022
19
Remote work adoption: 5% in steel admin roles 2023
20
Wage growth: 11% YoY to €1,350 in Q4 2023
21
Turnover rate: 4.5% in steel industry 2022
22
Migrant workers: 2% or 450 in steel plants 2023
23
Shift workers: 78% of total steel employment in 2023
24
R&D staff in steel: 1,200 engineers in 2022
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
Romania's steel industry, employing over 22,000 directly, is a formidable but aging giant—powered largely by a unionized, shift-working core of men, whose rising productivity and wages are slowly being tempered by an influx of youth, a focus on safety, and the quiet hum of thousands more indirect jobs in its orbit.
03 · Category
Finance23 stats
01
Steel industry revenue reached €4.2 billion in 2023
02
ArcelorMittal Galați EBITDA was €250 million in 2022
03
Tenaris Romania sales: €1.1 billion in 2023
04
Liberty Steel Group Romania turnover: €850 million in 2023
05
Net profit for Romanian steel sector: €180 million in 2022
06
Capital investments: €450 million in 2023 for green steel
07
Debt ratio for major steel firms averaged 45% in 2023
08
Galați plant revenue: €2.8 billion in 2022
09
Export revenue share: 55% of total steel sales in 2023
10
R&D expenditure: 1.2% of revenue or €50 million in 2022
11
Taxes paid by steel industry: €320 million in 2023
12
Cost of energy: 35% of total production costs in 2023, €1.5 billion
13
Return on assets (ROA): 8.2% for steel firms in 2022
14
Donalam revenue: €420 million from wire rods in 2023
15
Subsidies received: €120 million for decarbonization in 2023
16
Average selling price: €750/tonne for HRC in 2023
17
Market cap of listed steel firms: €1.2 billion in 2023
18
Cash flow from operations: €300 million industry-wide 2022
19
Investment in automation: €80 million in 2023
20
Profit margin: 4.5% for flat products in 2023
21
Bond issuances: €200 million by steel companies in 2023
22
Dividend payouts: €45 million in 2022
23
Cost per tonne produced: €550 in 2023
Interpretation
Finance Interpretation
Despite generating billions in revenue and making substantial tax contributions, Romania's steel industry reveals itself to be walking a high-wire act, balancing hefty energy costs and significant debt with slim margins, all while betting heavily on expensive green investments to avoid falling flat.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production30 stats
01
In 2023, Romania's crude steel production totaled 2.85 million metric tons, a 4.1% decline from 2022 due to energy costs
02
Romania produced 1.12 million tons of hot-rolled coil (HRC) in 2022 at ArcelorMittal Galați, representing 72% of national HRC output
03
In 2021, total pig iron production in Romania reached 2.41 million tonnes, primarily from Galați and Hunedoara plants
04
Romania's direct reduced iron (DRI) production was 45,000 tonnes in 2023, all from Tenaris Silcotub S.A.
05
In Q4 2023, monthly crude steel output averaged 220,000 tonnes, down 8% YoY
06
ArcelorMittal Galați produced 2.3 million tonnes of slabs in 2022
07
Romania's wire rod production stood at 450,000 tonnes in 2021, mainly from Donalam
08
In 2020, long steel products output was 1.65 million tonnes, up 3% from 2019
09
Galați plant's blast furnace No. 5 produced 1.8 million tonnes of hot metal in 2023
10
Total blooms and billets production reached 780,000 tonnes in 2022 across Romanian mills
11
In 2023, Romania's structural steel sections output was 320,000 tonnes
12
Heavy plate production totaled 250,000 tonnes in 2021 from Calarasi works
13
Romania manufactured 1.05 million tonnes of cold-rolled coil in 2022
14
Seamless tubes production hit 550,000 tonnes in 2023 by Tenaris
15
In 2020, Romania's rebar production was 890,000 tonnes
16
Galați's galvanised steel output reached 420,000 tonnes in 2022
17
Total steel for automotive sector was 180,000 tonnes in 2023
18
In Q1 2024, crude steel production was 680,000 tonnes, up 2% QoQ
19
Romania's merchant bar production stood at 210,000 tonnes in 2021
20
Electrical steel sheets production was 35,000 tonnes in 2022
21
In 2023, scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) output contributed 28% of total steel, or 798,000 tonnes
22
Liberty Steel Hunedoara produced 150,000 tonnes of long products in 2023
23
Romania's H-beam production totaled 140,000 tonnes in 2022
24
In 2021, coated steel products output was 510,000 tonnes
25
Pipe production for energy sector reached 120,000 tonnes in 2023
26
In 2020, Romania's steel sheet piling output was 45,000 tonnes
27
Total alloy steel production was 280,000 tonnes in 2022
28
Galați plant's No. 6 blast furnace output was 1.2 million tonnes hot metal in 2023
29
Stainless steel output stood at 25,000 tonnes in 2021 from Outokumpu or partners
30
In Q3 2023, average daily steel production was 7,200 tonnes
Interpretation
Production Interpretation
Romania's steel industry, though still a titan in the region, spent 2023 gingerly stepping around scorching energy costs, its production figures flinching like a visitor at a forge who forgot their gloves.
05 · Category
Trade22 stats
01
Steel exports from Romania reached 1.95 million tonnes in 2023, valued at €1.8 billion
02
In 2022, steel imports totaled 1.2 million tonnes, mainly from China and Turkey
03
Romania exported 850,000 tonnes of HRC to EU countries in 2023
04
Flat steel products exports grew 12% YoY to €950 million in 2022
05
Seamless pipes exports by Tenaris hit 420,000 tonnes in 2023, 60% to EU
06
Long steel products imports were 450,000 tonnes in 2021
07
Romania's steel trade surplus was €650 million in 2023
08
Exports to Germany accounted for 25% of total steel shipments in 2022, 480,000 tonnes
09
Italy imported 320,000 tonnes of Romanian slabs in 2023
10
Rebar exports declined 15% to 250,000 tonnes in 2023 due to quotas
11
Wire rod exports totaled 180,000 tonnes in 2022, mainly to Balkans
12
Steel imports from Turkey rose 20% to 280,000 tonnes in 2023
13
Galați HRC exports to Turkey were 150,000 tonnes in 2023
14
OCTG pipes exports reached $500 million in 2022 from Călărași
15
EU anti-dumping duties impacted 10% of Romanian steel exports in 2023
16
Steel trade volume with Ukraine surged 30% to 100,000 tonnes in 2023
17
France imported 200,000 tonnes of Romanian coated steel in 2022
18
Domestic steel consumption was 3.1 million tonnes in 2023
19
Exports of electrical steel to automotive sector: 15,000 tonnes in 2023
20
Import tariffs on Chinese steel affected 50,000 tonnes in Romania 2022
21
Steel exports to USA totaled 20,000 tonnes in 2023 under quotas
22
Heavy plate exports to shipbuilding: 80,000 tonnes in 2022
Interpretation
Trade Interpretation
Romania’s steel industry has masterfully forged a profitable export machine, though it must carefully temper the heat from foreign competition and trade barriers to keep its trade surplus glowing.
Reference
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APA
Aisha Okonkwo. (2026, February 13). Romania Steel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/romania-steel-industry-statistics
MLA
Aisha Okonkwo. "Romania Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/romania-steel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Aisha Okonkwo. 2026. "Romania Steel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/romania-steel-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level