VIEWPOINT
Iron ore exports from India may be restricted
In a recent development the union steel ministry of India has sought a phased reduction in the country's iron ore exports by about 10-15% per annum to meet the growing demand from India's domestic steel industry. The steel minister has also suggested to the commerce and Industry Minister that the government should continue with the present arrangement of canalizing exports of high grade iron ore content of 65% or above and stop grant of new export licences against the Hoda panel, which suggested the discontinuation of canalization of iron ore exports and favoured only imposition of an export levy on high grade iron ore.
GLOBAL CRUDE STEEL
production to top 1.2 billion ton, says study
The latest forecast by MEPS for global output of steel in 2006 is 1215 million ton (MT). This represents an increase of 7.5% over the outturn in the previous 12 months and will be the fifth consecutive year that worls steel production has exceeded 5%. A number of factors are at work driving such rapid growth.
Steel makers in both EU & US markets brought in a superb balance between demand and supply
Given the sheer pressure to maintain high operating rates in the newly constructed mills in China, there is little possibility that the country's steel makers will get down together as in Europe to cut production. Unless the country's economic growth gets stronger, a tough proposition given the fact that the industrial sector is growing at about 17% and the GDP at about 9%, the steel consumption will not rise at a faster rate.
Stainless steel users seriously looking for substitute materials
Nickel prices have retreated somewhat from the record high they reached earlier this month. Although the price drew back from crosiing the USD 30,000 per ton mark, it remains at over USD 27,000 (cash buyer price) at the time of writing.
CIS - A worl player in steel
CIS countires put together produce about 10 per cent of the total steel output of the world. Still its apparent steel consumption is just 5.4 per cent of world apparent steel use. There are three major steel producers in CIS, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
STEEL MARKET
HR steel prices esing, markets at crossroads
Some worries have been expressed in the past that output overruns in Chna - responsiblefor nearly a third of world steel production - could lead to the country becoming a large net exporter of steel. Fears that overproduction in China will destabalize the global steel business in the coming year maybe misplaced, according to industry experts.
World Stainless Steel transaction values to peak up towards the end of this year
To have a major impact
on growing import volumes one should concentrate on solving the reasons for customers placing their business with foreign mills. When the quantity of imports starts to increase, it is too late. The orders were probably placed four or five months before notification in the trade statistics.
RAW MATERIALS
Steel making through sponge iron route in EAF
Sponge iron of Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) as it is often referred to, is the product obtained from direct reduction of iron ore and having an iron content 83-92 per cent. During the reduction process, the oxygen in the iron ore is eliminated, leaving void space and the whole mass becomes, porous and spongy in appearance. Hence the name "Sponge Iron".
Adequacy of Resources and Infrastructure for the proposed steel projects in Orissa
Orissa has the largest concentration of iron ore in India. In the year 2000, the recoverable resources were 3.2 billion tonnes and the in situ reserves were 4.8 million tonnes. However, according to figures recounciled by the Indian Bureau of Mines, henceforth, IBM, the total reserves in 2006 were 5.4 billion tonnes. This figure includes both in situ and recoverable.
IRON ORE
Indian Iron Ore producers about to secure worldwide & substantial price rise
Australian reports said Beijing would not issue import permits for any iron ore cargoes contracted at above the price increase limit and the restrictions would remain in place at least until the 2006 negotiations end. The reported price caps appear to be directed primarily at China's big three suppliers of iron ore - Australia, India & Brazil, which together accounted for 86% of total Chinese imports in 2005
IRON ORE Hematite, magnetite & taconite
About 98% of iron ore is used to make steel - one of the greatest inventions and most useful materials ever created. While the other uses for iron ore and iron are only a very small amount of the consumption, they provide excellent examples of the ingenuity and the multitude of uses that man can create from the natural resources.
FOCUS
Indian Steel implementing multi-million-ton expansion, capacity seen at 240 mtpa by 2020
Is India the new China in crude steel output? The Indian steel industry is poised for massive expansion. Dramatic consumption growth over the last two years has stimulated enormous expansion plans, facilitated by a relatively unexploited iron ore raw material base.
METALS INDUSTRY
Global factors lead to soft steel prices
Commodities boom comes with a cost. Domestic stainless steelmakers counter booming prices of nickel, a critical input, with frequent price revisions and a switch to low-nickel grades. For the Indian stainless steel industry, the problem is even more severe because the local players depend on imported nickel apart from stainless steel scrap for their raw material requirements.
STEEL INDUSTRY
Indian cold rolled steel sheet industry
Cold rolling is a process through which the hot rolled steel sheet or strip after pickling is introduced between the rollers by application of high pressure at temperatures below the re-crystallization temperature. This method basically imparts smooth surface finish, accurate thickness, high tensile strength yield strength, hardness with corresponding decrease in ductility.
DRI INDUSTRY
DRI Industry: widening horizons
The growth of the sponge iron or DRI industry in India in its nascent form commenced towards the latter half of the 20th century. Until then, steel scrap formed a major chunk of our imports, next only to petroleum products. But India faced a severe foreign exchange crunch and the change in the dollar-rupee parity made scrap imports more difficult.
IRON & STEEL MAKING
Energiron Direct Reduction technology: a new generation of DR technology
Danieli and Techint / HYL Technologies present the Energiron process, which represents the top technologies in the global steel market, joining the knowledge and experience of both companies as the state-of-the-art equipment for producing high quality DRI and HBI.
LONG PRODUCTS
Top wire rod mill performances at MMK, Russia
MMK's new double-strand high-speed wire rod mill successfully delivered its first coils on May 10, 2006. Plant production started immediately on two shifts, while operation on three daily shifts started only week after the first bar was rolled. This intensive operation schedule, along with the higher plant efficiency, led to extremely satisfactory production levels, well beyond expectations.
MELTSHOP
Special steel meltshop in operation at Charter Steel, Cleveland (OH), USA
On June 15th 2006, the first heats were performed successfully at Charter Steel's new steelmaking facility, marking the state of the hot-run stage for this state-of-the-art special steel meltshop designed to support Charter Steel's rod and bar-in-coil rolling mill in Cuyahoga Heights, near Cleveland.
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