New Delhi, Sep 4: Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) recorded a strong sales performance in August, with sales climbing 13 per cent year-on-year to 1.87 million tonnes, reflecting steady demand for steel across key segments of the economy.

The company’s production also moved higher during the month. Crude steel output increased 8 per cent to 1.68 million tonnes, while hot metal production rose 9 per cent to 1.78 million tonnes. Saleable steel production stood at 1.69 million tonnes, compared with 1.66 million tonnes in August last year.

Demand was particularly encouraging for higher-value products. SAIL achieved its best-ever August sales in categories including cold-rolled, galvanised and alloy steel, indicating growing demand for specialised products from industrial and manufacturing customers.

The company also strengthened its supplies to the railway sector. Supplies to Indian Railways rose 5 per cent to 123,000 tonnes, while long rail supplies increased 11 per cent to a record 112,000 tonnes.

SAIL’s sales for the April-August period reached 7.71 million tonnes, marking a 5.6 per cent increase from the corresponding period last year. Cash collections also improved, rising 23 per cent year-on-year, while borrowings declined by Rs 8.7 billion from the March-end level.

The latest performance comes at a time when India’s steel industry continues to expand on the back of infrastructure development, construction, manufacturing, transportation and other industrial activities. India remains the world’s second-largest steel producer, while crude steel production reached around 168.4 million tonnes in 2025-26.

Steel consumption has also been gaining momentum. During April-May 2026, finished steel consumption increased 9 per cent year-on-year to 14.33 million tonnes in May alone, underlining the importance of domestic demand for producers.

With India’s crude steelmaking capacity reaching about 222 million tonnes by June 2026 and the country targeting 300 million tonnes of capacity by 2030, steelmakers are expected to remain important contributors to the country’s infrastructure and manufacturing expansion.