Year: 2026

Czech crude steel production reached 2.43 million tonnes in 2025, flat on-year, remaining at its lowest level in history, while consumption remained at 5.5mt, the lowest-ever figure except for the 2009 financial crisis year, says the Czech and Slovak steel association, Steel Union.

The crude steel output fall has been largely due to the deterioration and eventual closing of crude steelmaking at Nova Hut, formerly Liberty Ostrava, Kallanish notes.

Production of finished steel actually increased in 2025, by 14% and 61% respectively for long and flat products to 2.07 million tonnes and 805,000t. However, this was down to the restart of operations at Nova Hut after the new owner was installed last year. Pipe production rose 35% to 314,000t.

“We are facing one of the largest and longest crises caused by external factors that fundamentally disrupt economic stability on a European scale and weaken the competitiveness of the European Union,” says Steel Union supervisory board member and Trinecke Zelezarny chief executive Roman Heide.

EU mills are under threat from low-priced imports, high energy prices, and elevated and unstable emission allowance prices, he notes. The Emissions Trading System is “unpredictable and subject to market speculation that we have no control over. The costs of European producers are therefore constantly rising and their competitiveness is continuing to deteriorate,” he adds.

The development ignores the economic reality and the actual functioning of the market “in favour of ideologically motivated approaches”, Heide says.

Czech steel imports rose by 900,000t last year to 7.5mt, with exports growing at a slower pace to 3.4mt.

Author: Adam Smith Austria

German railways slowest in adopting green steel: conference

Deutsche Bahn could be Europe’s biggest customer for rails made of reduced emissions steel, but instead, lags far behind its neighbours in creating such a strategy for its railway services.

At Handelsblatt’s Zukunft Stahl conference in Essen, attended by Kallanish, Nadine Artelt, sales director at Saarstahl and ceo of Saarstahl Rail addressed the failure of Germany’s national railways to become a lead market for green steel.

Although Saarstahl is a German company, its business with reduced carbon emission steel is far bigger in the neighbouring countries than on its home turf. Last year, it signed a supply contract with the UK’s Network Rail for a minimum of 78,000 tonnes, and another with France’s SNCF of up to 170,00t/year over six years, plus others.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bahn contracted a trial volume of 1,000t in November. “We won that tender because there was no one else who would go for a mere 1,000 tonnes,” Artelt quipped.

Max-Christian Lange of DB’s division for sustainability and environment, stated that he “would like very much to contract much bigger volumes”, but highlighted multiple hurdles in the decision process caused by the company’s network of subsidiaries.

DB’s decisions are also slowed by the responsibilities of various political bodies of its main owner, the German state. One of the unsolved questions, for example, is which public coffer to tap to pay the green premium that comes with such products.

Artelt also queried if the process of approval was getting “lost in bureaucracy”. She mentioned the billions granted by the government so far to support green steel technology, and pointed at the paradox that the government does not create a customer market for that steel where it could. She sees the annual rail demand of DB at 250,000t.

“As a German, I would value very much that Germany catches up in this regard,” Artelt said.

Author: Christian Koehl Germany

UK traders fear closures from quota changes

UK steel traders fear business closures and job losses as a result of the planned 60% reduction in tariff-rate quota volumes and increase in the out-of-quota tariff to 50%, Kallanish learns.

“The quota changes are not going to fix anything,” says one trader. He queries the proposed hot-rolled quota levels versus actual demand levels, suggesting domestic producers cannot fulfil all the volumes.

“It’s going to be so risky [to import]. It’s tremendously complicated especially with CBAM coming on the back of this. You almost have to expect to pay the 50% tariff,” he adds. “If the HR price goes up in excess of 50%, that’s over £900/tonne [$1,198t], which is going to filter through into all manufacturing products. We’re going to witness inflation, or we import finished goods and shut down manufacturing.”

Another trading source says the changes are concerning for their business. “We don’t want to get caught out, what’s the point in taking that risk?” he says. “The quotas will halve my trading activity and output. Is it enough to sustain my business?”

“The next six months will see such a strain on supply. UK downstream manufacturing will suffer, especially if fabricator costs go up 50% in the next few weeks,” he concludes.

Julian Verden, chairman of the International Steel Trade Association (ISTA), says the association is “astounded” by the provisional detail of the new measures, which were announced as part of the Steel Strategy.

“The new quota numbers suggest that importing steel once these measures are fully in place will be in practical terms nearly impossible for many products and origins as managing quotas, estimating balances and thus the duty risk of 50% will make pricing uncompetitive for the final end users,” he warns.

He sees this could lead to reduced activity, investment and exports of finished products. “This inflationary move is completely unaffordable in the current uncertain environment. ISTA remains committed to supporting UK steel production but is also fully behind the downstream steel using industries and believes this can be achieved with a blend of imports and domestic production rather than a blockade,” Verden concludes.

Another market participant describes the changes as “non-sensical”, and hopes the UK is “posturing” in an attempt to get the EU around the table to negotiate. “[The changes] are not thought through properly. There has been no thought to downstream. This appears to be wholly 100% aligned to steel mills,” he tells Kallanish.

He also queries whether some stockholders who rely on imports will be able to survive. “If this is the new norm, then prices will escalate, domestic producers will fall over, and the UK will lose a huge amount of manufacturing and jobs to foreign shores,” he concludes.

Meanwhile, Laurence McDougall, managing director of All Steels Trading, says there is no clarity without the formal publication of the details of the new measures.

He also queries whether end-users would be able to absorb significantly higher steel prices, while competing against imported finished goods that are not subject to equivalent duties. “Without addressing this imbalance, there is a risk that domestic steel consumption will fade away unless the government closes the loophole,” he warns.

With EU-origin material included in the quotas, this could equate to additional costs in the region of £300-400/t, McDougall adds. He sees immediate market adjustments as unrealistic and therefore price increases will be staged, a strategy employed by some producers since the start of the Middle East conflict.

Author: Carrie Bone UK

Salzgitter appoints new chairwoman of supervisory board

The supervisory board of Salzgitter AG has elected Ulrike Brouzi as its new chairwoman, Kallanish learns. Her term of office begins with immediate effect. She is the first woman on the chair post

Brouzi is an executive manager of DZ Bank, the central institution for approximately 700 cooperative banks and their around 7,200 branch offices.

Since 2013, she has been a member of the supervisory board of Salzgitter. She has played a key role in shaping the steelmaker’s strategic direction of the past few years, says Gerald Heere, finance minister of state Lower Saxony.

“She is intimately familiar with the group’s processes, structures and strategic direction, and is therefore an excellent choice as chair of the supervisory board,” Heere is quoted as saying by public broadcaster NDR. Heere is a member of Salzgitter’s supervisory board, where he represents the main shareholder, the state of Lower Saxony.

The former chairman, Heinz-Gerhard Wente, stepped down in October 2025. Hans-Jürgen Urban took over as deputy chairman of the supervisory board on an interim basis.

Author: Christian Koehl

ASMAG expands North American footprint with acquisition of US Mill Masters

The Austrian machinery manufacturer ASMAG Group has announced the acquisition of Mill Masters, a US-based manufacturer of tube and cable mills located in Jackson, Tennessee.

The transaction marks a strategic step in strengthening ASMAG’s presence in North America while expanding its technological capabilities in tube welding mills.

Mill Masters, which has delivered more than 150 tube and cable mills worldwide, specialises in systems for smaller tube dimensions. Its portfolio complements ASMAG’s existing focus on larger-dimension tube mills, enabling the combined group to serve a broader range of customer requirements.

According to Johann Vielhaber, the acquisition supports ASMAG’s long-term strategy to expand its technological offering and establish a stronger operational presence in the United States, bringing the company closer to customers and partners in the region.

Bill Panthofer highlighted that joining the ASMAG Group will allow Mill Masters to leverage global resources and innovation while maintaining its established standards of quality and precision.

Mill Masters will continue to operate under its existing name and remain at its current site in Jackson, Tennessee. The company will be integrated into the ASMAG Group structure while ensuring continuity in customer relationships, expertise, and service.

ASMAG already operates a sales office in Chicago, Illinois. With this acquisition, the group establishes its first full production and service facility in the United States.

The ASMAG Group’s network now comprises five key locations, including sites in Austria and Germany, alongside its expanded presence in the US market.

European Commission agrees to amend ETS, review allowances

The European Commission will “within days” implement measures to update Emissions Trading System (ETS) free allocations benchmarks and enable the Market Stability Reserve to reduce carbon price volatility, says Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The benchmark adjustment will “take into account the concerns of industry”, she said after the European Council meeting had concluded after midnight on Friday, Kallanish notes.

In the medium term, the Commission will work on an ETS review which will include “a more realistic trajectory” for free allowances for industries beyond 2034.

It also proposes an “ETS Investment Booster”, a fund of €30 billion ($35 billion), financed by 400 million ETS allowances, assigned to financing projects for decarbonisation. This will operate on a first come, first serve basis, while prioritising funding for lower-income members states.

The European Council said the review should come by July at the latest and should include measures to reduce carbon price volatility and mitigate its impact on electricity prices. But it needs to preserve the “essential role of the ETS in the climate and energy transition through a market-based price signal for carbon emissions that drives investment and innovation”.

As for energy prices, the Commission will prepare a legal proposal to improve the productivity of grid infrastructure and allow member states to reduce grid charges for energy-intensive industries – these average at about 18% in the EU.

It will also propose to mandate lower tax rates on electricity – to make sure that electricity is taxed less than fossil fuels.

In the run-up to the meeting on Friday, ten EU countries, including Italy, Poland and Austria, called on the Commission to bring forward the ETS review to May. Major steelmaking representatives, such as Federacciai, voestalpine and Moravia Steel, have in recent months called for ETS to be overhauled to ease the cost burden on industry. Polish President Karol Nawrocki called for it to be scrapped altogether.

Author: Adam Smith

300 departures planned at ArcelorMittal Luxembourg

ArcelorMittal is to reduce its workforce in Luxembourg: the “Lux2029” agreement, signed on Friday 20 March, provides for up to 300 departures in response to the sector’s difficulties.

The government announced in a press release on Friday 20 March the signing of the new “Lux2029” agreement between the State, ArcelorMittal and the LCGB and OGBL trade unions, following negotiations that began on 1 October 2025. The text ratifies a reduction in the workforce in Luxembourg: around 300 positions are currently deemed surplus to the group’s needs.

To absorb this gap, “early retirement and pension measures, partial unemployment, voluntary departures, internal transfers and natural departures will be implemented”, the government states in a press release, which also mentions the setting up of a redeployment unit to support the employees concerned.

This reorganisation takes place in a difficult context for the European steel industry, faced with rising raw material costs, competition from low-cost imports and an uncertain geopolitical environment. In this context, ArcelorMittal intends to “adjust its internal organisation and fixed cost structure” in order to improve its competitiveness and secure its operations in Luxembourg.

The agreement was signed by the Minister for Labour, Marc Spautz (CSV), the Minister for the Economy, Lex Delles (DP), the Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth (CSV), as well as by ArcelorMittal’s management and the social partners.

Parallel investments

In return, the group is planning an investment programme of between €290.5m and €334.5m over the period 2026–2029, including €44m for facility maintenance. The stated aim is to support the development of the Luxembourg sites and ensure their long-term viability.

A number of projects have been mentioned, notably concerning the digitalisation of production and administrative activities, with the planned creation of a centre of excellence in cybersecurity to support the group’s global operations. Collaborations with academic and research institutions on advanced technologies are also planned.

Moreover, a “Maintenance Academy” is being studied. This training centre would aim to strengthen skills in industrial maintenance professions and create bridges between training, industry and employment.

ArcelorMittal finally confirms that it will maintain its headquarters in Luxembourg, as well as continuing construction of its new building.

Author: Hugo Hirsch

paperjam.lu

Upward trend seen in European longs market, but demand is still weak

The first price increases have materialized in the European longs market this week, mainly driven by the fact that supply needs are forcing end consumers to accept the requested prices. Nevertheless, both orders’ income and production are extremely slow, and market players keep waiting for a clearer development of the Middle East situation.

As for the rebar market in Italy, the new order level is standing at last week’s objective, i.e. around €350/mt ex-works base (€610/mt ex-works including regular extras). However, a source has reported that after this price’s confirmation, producers have again suspended rebar quotations and are considering even higher increases. “I’m expecting significant increases in the market,” an Italian trader said. “Whoever wants to buy will have to accept them.”

“[Producers] are trying to increase wire rod prices as well, but the current situation is not helping, they are struggling a lot and demand is low,” another trader said. On the producers’ side, in fact, one of the main Italian mills continues to refrain from proposing new offers both on domestic and export markets, causing prices to remain unchanged again.

Speaking of export markets, rebar prices offered by Spain to southern European ports stands at around €610/mt FOB. On the import markets, on the other hand, new rebar and wire rod offers from Egypt have been reported at €535/mt CFR and €540/mt CFR, respectively.

1 EUR = 1.15 USD (European Central Bank, March 19)

Author: SteelOrbis Editorial Team

SteelOrbis Logo

steelorbis.com

SSAB opens new steel service center in Mumbai to expand India presence