Steel import dips by 30 pc in Q1 FY26

India’s steel import juggernaut has finally hit the brakes. In a sharp reversal, inbound shipments slumped nearly 30 per cent year-on-year to 1.4 million tonnes (mt) in the first quarter of FY26 — a direct fallout of tightened safeguard duties. What’s more, domestic steel has regained pricing edge over Chinese imports after months of being undercut. Prices in the home market have eased to Rs 50,000–50,700 per tonne, about 2-3 per cent cheaper than landed Chinese steel, breaking a stubborn trend of price disparity. Imports in the Q1FY25 – the year-ago period — were at 2 mt. Decline was sharper for benchmark HRC coils, nearly 30 per cent, at 1 mt for April–June FY26, as against 1.4 mt in the year-ago period. While in the case of alloy and stainless steel offerings, the incoming shipments came down to 0.4 mt, down 30 per cent for the period under review, as per a report.

 

 

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