Steel
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, typically containing less than 2% carbon along with other elements such as manganese, chromium, nickel and molybdenum, and is one of the world's most important industrial materials. The addition of carbon and other alloying elements gives steel superior strength, durability and versatility compared with pure iron, making it essential for construction, manufacturing, transport and infrastructure. Steel production involves either the basic oxygen furnace method, which uses iron ore and coke, or the electric arc furnace route, which recycles scrap steel. Major steel-producing regions include China, which accounts for more than half of global output, India, Japan, the United States and the European Union. The steel industry is a significant consumer of iron ore, coking coal and energy, and its performance is closely tied to construction activity, automotive manufacturing and capital investment cycles. Steel is traded globally both as a finished product in forms such as rebar, plate, coil and structural sections, and as semi-finished products including billets and slabs. Pricing is influenced by raw material costs, energy prices, demand from key sectors and trade policies including tariffs and quotas. The industry faces ongoing challenges related to overcapacity, environmental regulation and the transition to lower-carbon production methods such as hydrogen-based steelmaking. Steel remains a bellwether for economic activity and industrial development worldwide.
Steel Updates
Standing Committee on Appropriations notes that economic pressures pose challenges to South Africa's export sector
3rd June 2026 The Standing Committee on Appropriations has noted that South Africa’s export sector continues to face significant pressure, largely due to the 30... →
South Africa can become strong value-add minerals player again, PyroFuZA points out 
By: Martin Creamer 2nd June 2026 Look out for PyroFuZA. Those eight letters have the potential to make best use of South Africa’s natural resources and restore South Africa’s... →
Nigeria's Tinubu urges global finance overhaul as debt costs crowd out spending
By: Reuters 13th May 2026 Nigeria will spend about $11.6-billion servicing its debt in 2026, nearly half of its projected government revenue, President Bola Tinubu said, as... →
As costs drop, hydrogen energy sovereignty is being grasped
By: Martin Creamer 5th May 2026 Following South Africa’s Northam Platinum reporting earlier this year that thousands of hydrogen-powered trucks are doing the rounds in China,... →
South Africa steel needs demand not belligerence, regulator says
By: Bloomberg 20th April 2026 The key to rescuing South Africa’s ailing steel industry, in which a unit of ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) is feuding with smaller competitors,... →
Multi-country hydrogen-based iron-ore-to-green-steel breakthrough in Namibia
By: Martin Creamer 14th April 2026 A green hydrogen breakthrough in Namibia is opening the way for decarbonised steel using iron-ore of considerably lower grade. In an electrically... →
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