India's finished steel consumption reached 99.3 million tonnes in the April-October period of the fiscal year 2026-27, up 7.5 per cent year on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Steel on Friday, November 6, SteelOrbis reported.

Source: SteelOrbis, 6 Nov 2026

The provisional data, released by the Joint Plant Committee (JPC), showed consumption rising from 92.4 million tonnes in April-October 2025, with infrastructure development, construction activity and manufacturing demand supporting domestic offtake, BuildWatch News reported. Consumption grew faster than production during the period.

Source: BuildWatch News, 6 Nov 2026

99.3 MTFinished steel consumption, Apr-Oct FY27 (+7.5%)
95.5 MTFinished steel production (+3.9%)
99.1 MTCrude steel output (+2.6%)
4.90 MTFinished steel imports (+28.9%)

Finished steel production was provisionally estimated at 95.5 million tonnes, up 3.9 per cent year on year, while total crude steel output came to 99.1 million tonnes, up 2.6 per cent. India remained a net steel importer during the period, with imports rising 28.9 per cent to an estimated 4.90 million tonnes while exports increased 15.5 per cent to 3.98 million tonnes, SteelOrbis reported.

Source: SteelOrbis, 6 Nov 2026

October alone kept the pattern: finished steel consumption stood at 14.3 million tonnes in the month, up 6.6 per cent on the corresponding month last year, the JPC figures showed, according to BuildWatch News.

Source: BuildWatch News, 6 Nov 2026

The import surge sharpened in October, when finished steel imports rose 65.8 per cent year on year to 0.76 million tonnes while exports fell 32 per cent to 0.44 million tonnes, SteelOrbis reported. South Korea was India's largest supplier of finished steel over the seven months at 1.4 million tonnes, while Italy and Belgium were the leading destinations for Indian exports, according to the JPC data reported by BuildWatch News.

Source: SteelOrbis / BuildWatch News, 6 Nov 2026

The figures put the policy question plainly: India has roughly 220 million tonnes a year of installed crude steel capacity and a National Steel Policy target of 300 million tonnes by 2030, but with demand compounding at 7.5 per cent against output growth of 3.9 per cent, the gap is currently being filled from abroad. Whether domestic capacity additions close that gap before imports entrench themselves is the number to watch in the monthly JPC releases ahead.