China reduced its output by 3% year-on-year over the period Global pig iron production in January–September 2026 fell by 2.2% year-on-year – to 1.02 billion tonnes. This is evidenced by data from the World Steel Association (worldsteel), as reported by Ukrmetalurgprom. Blast furnaces produced 929.56 million tonnes in January–September, while the direct reduction method produced 91.15 million tonnes. The largest pig iron producing countries over the 9 months were: China – 628.44 million tonnes (-3% y/y); India – 119.22 million tonnes (+3.7%); Japan – 43.84 million tonnes (-0.2%); Russia – 42.38 million tonnes (-3.6%); South Korea – 33.15 million tonnes (+1.6%). In January–September, Ukraine ranked 15th among 40 pig iron producing countries – 4.46 million tonnes (-22.9% y/y). As a reminder, in 9 m...

To solve the problem, UK Steel proposes compensation for energy-intensive enterprises In the 2026/27 financial year, UK steelmakers will pay significantly more for electricity than their competitors in the EU and other countries, which threatens the sector’s competitiveness. This was reported by Eurometal, citing a statement from the industry association UK Steel. According to the UK Steel report, the forecast electricity cost for British steelmakers will be £91/MWh. By comparison, this figure is estimated at £61/MWh in France and £79/MWh in Germany. In addition, UK prices are expected to be 125% higher than in the Canadian province of Alberta, 68% higher than in Vietnam and 71% higher than in Turkey. The price gap with France alone will add £66 million in additional costs for British companies in 2026/27. Acc...

The company plans to receive such volumes annually European special steel producer Swiss Steel Group has signed an agreement on a potential long-term strategic partnership with Canada Nickel Company for the supply of low-carbon semi-finished steel products from Canada. This was reported by SteelOrbis. The agreement aims to combine Canada’s mineral resources and renewable energy with Swiss Steel Group’s production capacities and its European customer network. Under the partnership, the Swiss group expects to gain exclusive access to around 1 million tonnes of low-carbon steel billets (including blooms and billets) per year starting in 2030 for further processing at its plants. Swiss Steel Group CEO Frank Koch noted that this cooperation will support the company’s strategy of optimizing its production structure and provide flexible ac...

The automotive sector has been chosen as the main market due to the willingness to pay a premium for environmentally friendly products The China Iron and Steel Research Institute (CISRI) has shipped its first commercial consignment of direct reduced iron (DRI) produced using 100% hydrogen. This was reported by Sepideh Feizabadi, a senior project control engineer in the metallurgy and mining sector. A consignment weighing 360 tonnes, produced at the institute in Linyi (Shandong Province), is intended for the production of environmentally friendly ‘green’ steel for the automotive industry. The products produced on the CISRI shaft furnace demonstration line have high purity levels: Degree of metallisation: over 96% (on average 96%–99.4%). Iron content: over 90%. Carbon content: less than 0.005%. The technology involves the use of 1...

Around 70% of orders currently relate to the protection of critical infrastructure Apparent consumption of steel structures in Ukraine in 2026 could rise by 10% compared with 2025 — to 117,000 tonnes. This was reported by UAprom, citing a statement made by Anna Gontarenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Centre for Steel Construction (UCSC), during her speech at the Coatings-UA for industries 2026 conference. “If we look at the consumption of rolled steel products in the first half of the year, these forecasts are proving accurate, as we are seeing growth of 10–12% compared with the first half of 2025,” said Anna Gontarenko. For example, in January–June 2025, the market capacity for steel structures stood at 38.6 thousand tonnes, whilst in the first six months of 2026 it rose to 44.4 thousand tonnes. In 2026, fl...

The company is also restructuring Deutsche Edelstahlwerke The Swiss steel group Swiss Steel Group has announced plans to restructure its German subsidiary, Deutsche Edelstahlwerke (DEW). This is reported by SteelOrbis. As part of the restructuring, the plant in Witten will become the main centre for the production of structural, stainless and tool steel. Thanks to the consolidation of steelmaking capacity, the electric arc furnaces and continuous casting lines in Witten will operate at near full capacity. This will enable the company to focus on highly profitable markets, including civil aviation and the defence industry, and reduce its dependence on the automotive sector. At the same time, steelmaking operations in Siegen will be temporarily suspended, although the rolling mill will remain part of the network. Due to falling sales volumes (more than ha...