The coming year may be more successful for the Hungarian steel market than 2025. Hungary is weathering the pan-European economic crisis much more severely than other EU members. Since 2022, the country has not received any money from European budget funds due to the official position of Budapest on a number of domestic political issues. While in Italy, Poland, and Romania, steel demand is significantly supported by EU funding for infrastructure projects, Hungary is deprived of this opportunity. The resumption of European funding remains unrealized potential for the expansion of the Hungarian steel market. Hopes for improved steel sales in 2026 are linked to the restoration of funding for development programs by Viktor Orbán’s government and foreign investment in industry. The example of Hungary shows that the state can stimulate steel consumption even...

In December, deliveries increased by 3.5% y/y, with the annual volume exceeding 90.9 million short tons Shipments of steel products from US steel mills in 2025 increased by 4.9% compared to 2024, reaching 90.95 million short tons, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). In December 2025, US steel companies shipped 7.45 million tons of steel, which is 3.5% more than in December 2024 (7.21 million tons). On a monthly basis, the figure increased by 5.4% compared to November 2025, when shipments amounted to 7.07 million tons. Overall, shipments in 2025 exceeded the 2024 level (86.70 million tons) by almost 4.25 million tons, indicating a gradual recovery in domestic demand and increased steel consumption in key sectors of the economy. The structure of shipments by product type shows uneven dynamics. Compared to 2024, shipments of corrosion-...

Imports of these products amounted to 1.52 million tons In 2025, China reduced its stainless steel exports by 0.3% – to 5.03 million tons. This is evidenced by data from Chinese customs authorities, according to Steel Orbis. Imports of this product amounted to 1.52 million tons at the end of last year, which is 19% less on an annualized basis. In December 2025, China exported 485,000 tons of stainless steel (+4.2% y/y and 19.7% m/m). The December surge occurred ahead of the introduction of an export licensing system for all steel products on January 1, 2026. Stainless steel imports in the last month of 2025 amounted to 145,000 tons (+1.9% y/y and 29.3% m/m). Imports of stainless steel scrap to the country amounted to 120,100 tons last year, which is 23.5% more than in 2024. In December, these volumes amounted to 11,800 tons, increasing by 20.6% year-on-y...

Total investment in the project will amount to $5.8 billion South Korea’s Hyundai Steel said its affiliate Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana LLC plans to raise $2.9 billion in capital to invest in steel mill facilities in the US. This is stated in a regulatory filing submitted by the steelmaker, Reuters reports. Last year, Hyundai Steel and its parent company Hyundai Motor announced investments in the construction of a steel plant in Louisiana with an annual capacity of 2.7 million tons. Hyundai Motor Group also signed a memorandum of understanding with POSCO Holdings to cooperate on this project. Hyundai Steel plans to finance the total investment of $5.8 billion with $2.9 billion of its own capital and the same amount of external borrowing. The announcement, submitted to South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service, allows the company to ...

Demand for steel in Romania will face serious challenges in 2026 Romania has low per capita steel consumption compared to the industrially developed countries of the European Union. This indicates significant potential for the local market, which has been stagnant in recent years. Even post-COVID government economic stimulus programs have not led to a surge in steel demand in 2021–2022, unlike in Poland, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and a number of other countries. The situation may deteriorate significantly in 2026. Market profile Importers are gradually taking over the Romanian steel market amid problems faced by local producers. First and foremost is the Galati steelworks, the only flat steel producer owned by the British company Liberty Steel Group. The financial difficulties of the parent company GFG Alliance led to months of downtime at the Liberty ...

The projects are expected to improve the region's industrial ecosystem   Indian steelmaker Tata Steel and the government of Jharkhand signed a letter of intent and memorandum of understanding at the World Economic Forum in Davos to invest more than 11.1 billion rupees ($1.2 billion) in cutting-edge green steel technology in the region. This was reported by The Statesman. The proposed investments include the introduction of advanced iron production technologies such as HISARNA and EASyMelt. The former allows the use of local coal and low-grade iron ore, while significantly reducing carbon emissions in combination with carbon capture systems. Following successful pilot tests in the Netherlands, Tata Steel plans to build an industrial facility with a capacity of about 1 million tons per year in Jamshedpur by 2030. EASyMelt technology, the fir...