Tata Steel commissions third slab caster at Kalinganagar

Tata Steel and SMS group have commissioned a third two-strand slab caster at the company's Kalinganagar steelworks, expanding production capacity at Steel Melting Shop No. 1.

The new caster has an annual production capacity of 3.1 mln tons and produces slabs with a thickness of 230 mm and widths ranging from 1,000 mm to 2,150 mm. It can operate at a maximum casting speed of 1.9 metres per minute.

The facility is designed to produce a range of steel grades, including IF steel, low-carbon, microalloyed peritectic and medium-carbon grades.

The caster reached its target production capacity within months of the first heat, according to SMS group. It also completed a record sequence of 560 heats over 17 consecutive days, demonstrating stable operations and high availability.

Caster No. 3 is the third caster supplied by SMS group to Tata Steel's Kalinganagar facility. The first two casters started operations in 2016 and 2024.

Tata Steel is among the world's leading steel producers, with annual crude steel capacity of around 35 mln tons.