Nippon Steel leads industry worldwide by profit per ton amid tough market

MaterialsDownsizing, pricing power help buffer Chinese overproduction and weak demandA blast furnace at a Nippon Steel plant in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)RIHO TAKAHASHIJuly 15, 2026 06:45 JSTTOKYO -- Nippon Steel's profit per ton of crude steel production ranked highest among major global blast furnace steelmakers in the first quarter, despite market challenges like Chinese overproduction and sluggish domestic demand.