Ten Steel Associations Petition Thai Industrial Standards Office to Phase Out IF Furnace Steel Mills Within Three Years
Ten Thai steel associations have petitioned the government to phase out induction furnace steel mills within three years, citing excess Chinese capacity and market dumping that undermines domestic producers who currently hold only 35% of Th
Nava Chantanasurachan, honorary chairman of the steel industry group at the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), along with executives from ten Thai steel industry associations, met with Industry Ministry officials including Deputy Permanent Secretary Wirut Wisetsinthu and TISI Secretary-General Ekkanit Romayanont to discuss the domestic and international steel industry situation and monitor progress on various steel product standards, licensing inspections, and product quality controls.
Nava revealed that the ten steel associations, representing over 500 Thai steel companies, presented their proposals to the ministry, which received them with genuine interest and committed to implementing concrete solutions and reforms. This reflects a true commitment to working for the public good and is part of regular ongoing meetings.
The industry praised the Industry Ministry and TISI for their courageous enforcement actions against non-compliant steel mills that fail to meet Thai Industrial Standards and cause pollution. "This demonstrates that the Industry Ministry is not just a licensing agency but one that dares to protect Thai people and Thai industry, where standards come first and laws must be respected and non-negotiable," Nava stated.
Nava further noted that in 2568 (2025), Thailand consumed 18.5 million tons of steel, with domestic producers capturing only 35 percent of the market at 8.1 million tons, while imports reached 12 million tons. The steel industry faces two major problems: (1) foreign steel dumping from China, which exported a record 119 million tons globally last year, with various global regions implementing anti-dumping, anti-circumvention, safeguarding, and countervailing duty measures that redirect excess Chinese steel to Thailand; and (2) induction furnace (IF) steel mills previously shut down by the Chinese government as part of China's efforts to advance steel industry technology, with these outdated furnaces creating excess capacity that floods the Thai market.
