Zimbabwe’s exports across selected iron and steel product lines surged to about US$150.3 million in the first seven months of 2026, more than three times the comparable figure last year, as new domestic steelmaking capacity begins to translate into significant export earnings, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
Data from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) shows exports across four major steel product categories rose from about US$46.3 million in January-July 2025 to US$150.3 million in the same period this year, representing an increase of roughly 224%. ZIMSTAT publishes monthly trade data classified by product and HS4, allowing the performance of individual steel categories to be tracked.
The growth was spread across both primary and finished steel products. Pig iron exports rose to about US$30.5 million, from US$6.7 million, while semi-finished products of non-alloy steel contributed approximately US$33.2 million.
Hot-rolled bars and rods in irregular coils generated about US$43.1 million, while another bars and rods category contributed roughly US$43.6 million, compared with US$9.9 million a year earlier.
The surge comes as Zimbabwe begins to rebuild an industry that for years struggled to meet domestic demand following the collapse of the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO). Much of the country’s steel requirements were subsequently met through imports, leaving Zimbabwe with limited capacity to process its iron ore into higher-value products.
That is beginning to change with the emergence of Dinson Iron and Steel Company’s Manhize plant, which has given the country new primary steelmaking capacity and opened a route into regional export markets.
Dinson, controlled by China’s Tsingshan Group, has installed annual production capacity of about 600,000 tonnes and has indicated that around 60% of its output is destined for export markets. The company is considering an expansion that would take capacity to about 1.8 million tonnes a year.
With production rising, regional markets are becoming increasingly important to the economics of Zimbabwe’s steel industry.
ZIMSTAT’s July trade data shows iron, steel and related products accounted for 7.5% of Zimbabwe’s US$371 million exports to SADC, equivalent to about US$27.8 million. Within COMESA, the products accounted for 30.6% of exports, or roughly US$8.8 million of the bloc’s US$28.8 million imports from Zimbabwe.
The regional demand comes as Zimbabwe seeks to rebuild its manufacturing base while reducing its dependence on imported steel. But the latest trade figures also show that local production has not yet eliminated the import market.
Iron, steel and related articles accounted for 6.3% of Zimbabwe’s US$542.9 million imports from SADC in July, indicating that domestic producers are still not supplying the full range of products required by construction, mining and manufacturing companies.
For the steel industry, the next challenge will be sustaining export markets as production expands. If Manhize proceeds with its planned expansion, rail capacity, freight costs and regional trade conditions will become increasingly important to maintaining competitiveness.
The US$150.3 million in steel exports provides an early indication that Zimbabwe’s renewed steelmaking capacity is beginning to move beyond import substitution and establish a foothold in regional markets.
