July-September ’10 has been the best-ever Q-2 for Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), with sales of 3.17 million tonnes (MT) being achieved during the period. In comparison to sales in the previous quarter (Q-1), SAIL achieved a growth of 30.8%. Previous best Q-2 sales of 3.08 MT were achieved in 2009-10.
During July-September ’10, SAIL sold 8.5 lakh tonnes of special & value-added steel products, showing a growth of 10.1% over the corresponding period last year (CPLY). Special steels constituted 30% of the total domestic sales achieved in Q-2.
Sales growth in Q-2 was mainly due to higher intake by the construction and manufacturing sectors. This was reflected in higher sales of products such as wire rods (60% over CPLY), rounds & bars (17.3%), structurals (17.7%), CR sheets/coils (16.8%), galvanised items (24%), etc.