Steelmakers warn of Q3 revenue drop, pin hopes on Q4 rebound
Live MintFor India's steelmakers facing the lowest prices in the last four years, things may get worse before they get better. In September, benchmark hot-rolled coil prices fell to an average of ₹48,029 per tonne, slipping below the ₹50,000-per-tonne-mark for the first time since November 2020, according to data from BigMint, a market intelligence firm. Consequently, Narendran expects Tata Steel’s average net realizations per tonne in Q3 to be about ₹2,000 lower sequentially. For steel companies, realizations per tonne serve as a key profitability metric, reflecting the average revenue earned on each unit sold and offering insight into pricing trends and market demand. Executives from Tata Steel, SAIL, and JSW Steel anticipate lower prices for coking coal, a critical raw material in steel production, with costs projected to drop by ₹840-2,100 per tonne on average in Q3 compared to Q2 levels.