Steel Authority of India (SAIL) reported its best-ever performance for the first half of FY27, covering April to September 2026, with records across production, sales, efficiency and financial discipline. The company said its focus on operational excellence and higher-value steel products supported improved competitiveness during the period.

Hot metal, crude steel and finished steel production reached record H1 levels of 10.2 mn tonnes (MT), 9.6 MT and 8.39 MT, respectively. The figures represented increases of 2 per cent, 1 per cent and 1 per cent over the corresponding period a year earlier. Finished steel accounted for 89.2 per cent of total saleable steel production, compared with 86.8 per cent in the year-earlier period.

SAIL’s high-end steel production rose 30 per cent to around 2 MT, also marking its best April-September performance. Iron ore production increased 13 per cent, while iron ore sales climbed 190 per cent to 2.671 MT. Dispatches to Indian Railways grew 7 per cent for long rails and 3 per cent for wheels and axles.

Specific energy consumption improved to 6.17 GCal per tonne of crude steel, representing a 0.5 per cent improvement and the company’s best H1 result. SAIL reduced inventory by about 0.145 MT and borrowings by approximately Rs. 10.8 bn during the six-month period.

In September, saleable steel sales reached a record 1.69 MT, up 4 per cent year on year. Sales of SAIL SeQR TMT bars exceeded 150,000 tonnes, while Tier-II retail sales increased 3 per cent. Finished steel’s share of saleable production rose to 92 per cent, fuel rate improved to 551 kg per tonne of hot metal, and iron ore sales surged 134 per cent to 0.492 MT. September inventory fell by about 0.192 MT and borrowings declined by approximately Rs. 2.08 bn. The company said the results strengthened its position for the remainder of FY27.