Oceania Steel Market: Mixed Activity Signals Amidst Stable Pricing; Monitor GFG Liberty Laverton Mill
Oceania’s steel market presents a mixed picture, with activity levels varying across plants. No direct relationship can be explicitly established between steel plant activities in Oceania and the provided European HRC market news articles: “The expectations of buyers and sellers in the European HRC steel market differ“, “Buyers’, sellers’ expectations vary in European steel HRC market“, “European HRC market in wait-and-see mode“, “The prices of rolls in Northern Europe are stable compared to import offers“, “Italian heavy steel plate prices under downward pressure; Northern Europe market unchanged“.
Overall, the mean steel plant activity in Oceania fluctuated, reaching a low of 31.0% in March 2025 and a peak of 46.0% in April 2025. BlueScope Port Kembla’s activity has shown a downward trend, decreasing from 49.0% in December 2024 to 37.0% in May 2025. BlueScope New Zealand Steel Glenbrook has remained relatively stable, hovering around the 44.0% to 53.0% range. GFG Liberty Laverton Steel Mill consistently exhibits the highest activity levels, but has gradually decreased from 82.0% in December 2024 and January 2025 to 75.0% in May 2025.
BlueScope Port Kembla, an integrated steel plant in New South Wales with a 3.2 million tonne crude steel capacity (BOF based), focuses on semi-finished and finished rolled products for building and infrastructure. Its activity has declined steadily, with a significant drop from 49.0% in December 2024 to 37.0% in May 2025. No direct connection between this observed activity drop and the provided news articles regarding European HRC market conditions can be established.
BlueScope New Zealand Steel Glenbrook, an integrated DRI-based steel plant in South Auckland with a 650,000-tonne crude steel capacity, produces semi-finished and finished rolled products for building, infrastructure, and steel packaging. The plant’s activity has remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 44.0% and 53.0%. No direct connection between this observed activity level and the provided news articles regarding European HRC market conditions can be established.
GFG Liberty Laverton Steel Mill, an EAF-based mill in Victoria with a 660,000-tonne crude steel capacity, produces long products for building, infrastructure, energy, and transport. The plant consistently operates at higher activity levels than the Oceania average, however, its activity decreased from 82.0% in December 2024 and January 2025 to 75.0% in May 2025. No direct connection between this observed activity drop and the provided news articles regarding European HRC market conditions can be established.
Given the consistent, albeit gradual, decrease in activity at GFG Liberty Laverton Steel Mill (Australia) from December 2024 to May 2025, steel buyers who rely on its long products should:
1. Monitor GFG Liberty Laverton closely: Track the plant’s activity using available data sources for further declines, which may indicate potential supply constraints.
2. Diversify sourcing: Proactively explore alternative suppliers for reinforcing bar, reinforcing mesh, tubular and hollow sections, merchant bar and wire products to mitigate potential risks associated with reduced output from GFG Liberty Laverton.