Introduction
Bidestan Kalaye Steel Company, with two decades of outstanding experience in the specialized supply and import of stainless steel sheets and coils, and with a deep understanding of the needs of domestic industries, has always believed that accurate knowledge of the supply chain and top producers is the key to informed and successful selection in any project. As one of the main and reliable players in Iran’s stainless steel industry, and through direct collaboration with global steel giants such as TISCO, Bidestan Kalaye Steel is proud to offer products of the highest international standards while also publishing this article to provide a clear path for industry professionals to identify the best steel sheet manufacturers in Iran.
Iran’s steel industry, relying on the expertise of domestic specialists and utilizing modern technologies, has managed to establish its position among the world’s leading producers. One of the most important products of this industry is steel sheets in various types, which are used in construction, automotive, home appliances, shipbuilding, and many other sectors. In this article, we will introduce 16 steel sheet production plants in Iran, examining the specifications, products, and geographical location of each.
1. Mobarakeh Steel Complex; The Giant of Iran’s and the Middle East’s Steel Industry
Mobarakeh Steel Company is not only the largest industrial unit in Iran but also the largest steelmaking company in the Middle East. This massive complex is located on a 35-square-kilometer site southwest of Mobarakeh city, 75 kilometers from Isfahan, and is one of the few Iranian steel companies that has a complete steel production chain from iron ore mining to rolling and production of various coated and flat products.
The history of this complex dates back to the 1970s and Iran’s industrial development plans. Main construction began in 1981 and continued despite aerial attacks during the Iran-Iraq war. The first electric arc furnace was launched in October 1991, and production lines in January 1992. Today, the company’s production capacity exceeds 10.3 million tons of various flat steel products, hot-rolled, cold-rolled, tin-plated, galvanized, and color-coated, with thicknesses from 0.18 to 16 mm.
One of the significant achievements of Mobarakeh Steel is the production of stainless steel sheets since the second half of 2022 with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons, which has prevented the outflow of $200 million annually. The company has also ranked first in 11 rounds of the National Organizational Excellence Award and has been among Asia’s top 25 knowledge-based companies, alongside Samsung and Toyota. Mobarakeh Steel supplies raw materials to over 3,000 factories and production workshops in the country and has the capability to export to more than 38 countries worldwide.
2. Foolad-e-Saba Complex; Pioneer in Stainless Steel Sheet Production
Foolad-e-Saba Complex is the first producer of stainless steel sheets in the country, which was commissioned in 2002 in Lenjan County, 45 kilometers southwest of Isfahan. Since 2006, this complex has been operating as a subsidiary of Mobarakeh Steel Company and has enhanced its product quality by utilizing advanced technologies and modern metallurgical equipment such as LF, VOD, and FDP.
The annual production capacity of this complex is approximately 650,000 to 700,000 tons of steel sheets, which can be increased to 1.4 million tons and even 2.8 million tons per year through development plans. Products include black sheets with thicknesses of 1.5 to 12.5 mm and widths of 800 to 1,560 mm, ferritic stainless steel sheets in grade 409, drawing and deep-drawing sheets, and high-weldability sheets.
The production method at Foolad-e-Saba is based on thin slab continuous casting, which offers significant advantages: production costs are 20% lower, energy consumption is 50% lower, and investment costs are reduced by about 30% compared to conventional methods. In this process, molten steel is converted into steel sheets in less than 30 minutes. With ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, this complex has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable production and environmental management, playing an effective role in regional development and job creation.
3. Foolad-e-Esfahan Company; Producer of Flat Steel Sheets
Foolad-e-Esfahan Company was commissioned in 1997 on a 26,000-square-meter site in the Eshtarjan Industrial Zone of Isfahan. This company produces various types of flat steel sheets with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons. The main product is black steel sheet type St37 with a width of 1 meter and thicknesses from 15 to 60 mm.
4. Foolad-e-Kavian Ahvaz; Pioneer in Thick Steel Sheets
Foolad-e-Kavian Company was established in late 1975 on the Ahvaz-Khorramshahr road but its operation was delayed until 1991 due to the Iran-Iraq war. As the first producer of thick steel sheets in the country, this plant produces hot-rolled black sheets with thicknesses from 8 to 70 mm as factory-cut sheets, and occasionally up to 100 mm on a custom basis. Due to technical limitations, Kavian’s thick sheets can only be produced as sheets and cannot be coiled, making them suitable for heavy industries and special projects.
5. Foolad-e-Aksin Khuzestan; The Only Wide Sheet Producer in the Middle East
Foolad-e-Aksin Khuzestan Company was registered in 2005 and began mass production in 2009. As the only producer of wide steel sheets in the Middle East, it can produce black steel sheets up to 4.5 meters in width with various thicknesses and high strength. The main activity is producing high-width, heat-treated steel sheets for the oil, gas, petrochemical, marine, machinery, and large metal structure industries.
Aksin’s sheets are used in sensitive applications such as high-diameter oil and gas pipelines, pressure vessels and large storage tanks for petroleum and chemical condensates, industrial boilers, power plants, shipbuilding, and bridge construction. After heat treatment, the tensile strength of these sheets can reach up to 1,200 N/mm² and yield strength up to 1,000 N/mm². The most popular products are black sheets in widths of 2 and 2.5 meters, meeting a significant portion of the country’s heavy industry needs.
6. Foolad-e-Gilan Complex; Private Sector Leader in Steel Rolling
Foolad-e-Gilan Complex was established in 2003 in the Rasht Industrial Zone and is recognized as the first and largest private-sector steel rolling mill in the country. With an annual production capacity of 2.5 million tons of hot-rolled products and 500,000 tons of cold-rolled products, it directly employs over 1,200 people.
This plant can produce various steel sheets (black, pickled, cold-rolled, galvanized, and checkered) in two sections: hot rolling with thicknesses of 2.5 to 15 mm and cold rolling with thicknesses of 0.3 to 5 mm. Hot-rolled products are manufactured according to international standards EN, ASTM, DIN, and JIS and used in construction, oil and gas pipelines, pressure vessels, automotive, and re-rolling applications. The cold rolling line, with a capacity of 500,000 tons, produces products for automotive, home appliances, pipe manufacturing, and deep drawing. With ISO 14001 certification, Foolad-e-Gilan has made significant investments to reduce environmental impact.
7. Foolad-e-Amir Kabir Kashan; The First Hot-Dip Galvanized Sheet Producer
Foolad-e-Amir Kabir Kashan Company was established in 1995 under the name “Fajr Sepahan Galvanized Industries” and began operation in 2000. As the first hot-dip galvanized sheet producer in Iran, the factory is located on a 72-hectare site in Kashan and produces according to JIS, DIN, ASTM, and ISIRI standards.
Production lines include pickling, reversing cold rolling, annealing, continuous hot-dip galvanizing, cross-cutting, and sheet forming. The plant can produce galvanized sheets with thicknesses of 0.25 to 1.5 mm and widths of 600 to 1,250 mm, as well as sinusoidal and trapezoidal profiled sheets for roofing applications. The company recently received the Silver Trophy of the National Organizational Excellence Award.
8. Foolad-e-Taraz Shahrekord; Innovator in TOC Galvanized Sheets
Taraz Galvanized Sheet Plant, under the name “Taraz Chaharmahal Coated Sheet Industries,” was established in 2008 in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province and commissioned in 2016. The plant can produce hot-dip galvanized sheets with thicknesses of 0.3 to 2 mm and various coating weights.
A key innovation of the company is the production of color-coated galvanized sheets under the name “GalvaTaraz,” one of its unique products. Taraz Steel can produce various grades, including automotive and deep-drawing grades such as DX51, DX52, and DX53. The plant is also the only producer of Galvalume sheets (aluminum-zinc alloy coating) in Iran and has used trivalent chromium solution from the start, which has less harmful effects on health and the environment.
9. Vagh-e-Khodro Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Company; Specializing in the Automotive Industry
Vagh-e-Khodro Factory was inaugurated in 2010 on the Borujen-Shahrekord road to supply steel sheets for the automotive industry. This plant produces continuous hot-dip galvanized sheets.
With the start of production, its galvanized sheets replaced imported sheets for automotive body manufacturing—an important step toward self-sufficiency in the country’s automotive industry. Products are offered in various packaging, from simple to export with wooden pallets. While most products are sold to automakers, they are also used in roofing and industrial shed construction.
10. Haft-e-Almas Industries; The Second Largest Galvanized Sheet Producer
Haft-e-Almas Industries was established in 1996 in Qazvin and commissioned in 2003. As the second largest galvanized sheet producer in Iran, with an annual nominal capacity of 100,000 tons, it serves both domestic and international markets.
Production lines include pickling (1 million tons capacity), reversing cold rolling (1 million tons), annealing (360,000 tons), galvanizing (610,000 tons), Galvalume (360,000 tons), color coating (200,000 tons), and tin plating (150,000 tons). Products include a wide range of pickled, cold-rolled, galvanized, Galvalume, color-coated, tinplate, stainless steel, and silicon steel sheets.
The difference between Haft-e-Almas color-coated sheets and Mobarakeh’s lies in thickness; Haft-e-Almas produces color-coated sheets in thicknesses of 0.48 and 0.47 mm. This company holds ISO 9001:2008, ISO 18000, ISO 14000, and EFQM certifications, as well as laboratory accreditation under ISO 17025.
11. Foolad-e-Gharb-e-Asia Company; Specializing in Cold-Rolled Sheets
Foolad-e-Gharb-e-Asia Company was established in 2004 in Qom Province on a 53-hectare site. As a major producer of cold-rolled steel sheets in Iran, products are manufactured according to DIN, JIS, EN, and ISIRI standards.
Production capabilities range from 0.18 to 3 mm thickness and 600 to 1,700 mm width. Products are used in automotive, home appliances, building cladding, color-coated and galvanized sheets, and can-making for packaging industries (such as industrial paints and canning).
12. Nard-e-Ghataat-e-Fooladi Company; Supplier of Construction Sheets in Tehran
Nard-e-Ghataat-e-Fooladi Company was established on the old Karaj road with a production capacity of 150,000 tons of steel ingots. The foundry began in 1972 and the hot rolling mill in 1974.
This plant can produce construction steel sheets from 8 to 30 mm and alloy sheets from 8 to 80 mm, meeting the needs of the traditional sheet market and industrial and construction contracting. Sales are conducted in three categories: wholesale, retail, and exchange market sales. Since 2021, the company has been exporting sheets to Istanbul, Turkey.
13. Nard-e-Tehran Factory; Black Sheet Producer in the Capital
Nard-e-Tehran Factory is among the black sheet producers in the capital. Although it can produce both hot-rolled and cold-rolled sheets, it currently only produces and supplies black sheets in widths of 50, 60, and 70 cm. The sheets produced here are mainly used as raw materials for producing various sections within the factory itself and other manufacturing plants and are not directly offered in the market.
14. Nard-o-Looleh Semnan; Galvanized and Color-Coated Sheet Producer in the Northeast
Semnan Rolling and Pipe Industries was established in 1993. By 2006, the company expanded its facilities and diversified its product range. Galvanized sheet production lines (two lines) and color-coated sheets (one line) were launched in 2006.
Products include color-coated sheets in thicknesses of 0.25 to 1.25 mm, galvanized sheets from 0.25 to 3 mm, and sinusoidal shutter sheets. However, most of the company’s sheets are used for its own steel component production, with limited quantities reaching the market.
15. Nard-o-Looleh Ahvaz; Coil Sheet Producer in the Southwest
Nard-o-Looleh Ahvaz was established in 1967 and commissioned in 1971. It is one of the producers of hot-rolled steel sheets in coil form with the best quality according to international standards.
Products include hot-rolled steel coil with thicknesses of 1.5 to 8 mm and maximum width of 600 mm, pickled and oiled hot-rolled coil with thicknesses of 1.5 to 5 mm, and flat strips with thicknesses of 1.5 to 6.5 mm and widths of 80 to 600 mm. ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 18001 certifications demonstrate the high quality of its products. Most sheet production is converted into steel sections, with the remainder distributed among section producers across the country.
16. Foolad-e-Khorramabad Complex; Thick Black Sheet Producer in Lorestan
Foolad-e-Khorramabad Complex was established in 2002 as a rolling mill and steel parts factory in Lorestan Province. The company primarily produces sheets in 1.25 m widths, only in thick sections from 20 to 90 mm. Although it does not have a long history in steel sheet production, it offers sheets with good dimensional accuracy and acceptable quality to the market.
Conclusion
Iran’s steel sheet production industry, with 16 major and reputable plants across the country, meets the extensive needs of domestic industries as well as exports to international markets. Bidestan Kalaye Steel Company, with two decades of outstanding experience in the specialized supply and import of stainless steel sheets and coils, and with a deep understanding of domestic industry needs and direct collaboration with global steel giants, has always been recognized as one of the main and reliable players in Iran’s steel industry. The company is proud that, in addition to offering products of the highest international standards, it has published this comprehensive article to provide a clear path for industry professionals to identify the best steel sheet manufacturers in Iran, enabling them to make informed and reliable choices for their projects.
