Swedish steel producer SSAB expects increased demand and supply in the first quarter of 2026
According to the 2025 results report released on January 28, Swedish steel producer SSAB expects shipments to increase in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the previous quarter, driven by seasonal demand.
The company expects that shipments of special rolled products in the first quarter will be "significantly" higher compared to the previous quarter at stable prices. Shipments of SSAB to Europe and SSAB to America are expected to be higher at "slightly higher prices," according to the company. The company's specialty steels segment includes hardened, hardenable tempered, and advanced high-strength steels
.In the first quarter, the company expects strong demand, especially from the renewable energy sector in the EU, as well as from the transportation and oil and gas sectors in the United States.
SSAB estimates weak demand from the construction sector and uncertainty about automotive demand, the report said.
In the fourth quarter, production was relatively stable year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter at 1.8 million metric tons of steel. According to the report, production was 7.54 million tons in 2025, compared with 7.35 million tons in 2024.
Steel shipments increased by 4% year-on-year and by 2.68% month-on-month to 1.51 million tonnes in the fourth quarter. The production of special steels has been affected by turbulence caused by tariffs and trade barriers, but according to SSAB, activity in the European market has improved.
Steel shipments in 2025 totaled 6.36 million tons, compared with 6.13 million tons in 2024.
SSAB's commitment to producing environmentally friendly steel continued in 2025, and investments made during the year were completed as planned, the company said.
Construction of a new electric arc furnace continues at the SSAB steel mill in Oxelesund. In the summer of 2025, the steel company also began construction of a highly efficient mini-plant at its Luleå steel mill, which is expected to begin production in late 2029.
The company stressed that SSAB's transformation plan depends on the timely establishment of the necessary infrastructure, especially with regard to electricity supply, and appeals related to the Oxelesund transmission line are currently being considered.
"The conversion involves the closure of existing blast furnaces and a coke plant. At the same time, most of the production facilities in Oxelesund, including a modern rolling mill and unique Q&T lines producing high-strength steel, will operate as before," the SSAB report says.
On January 27, Platts agency, part of S&P Global Energy, estimated