What is a normal energy use per tonne for DRI, induction furnaces, rolling mills and wire drawing?
The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI) Durgapur study gives typical ranges: direct reduced iron (DRI) 4.5 gigacalories (Gcal) and 70 to 80 kWh a tonne, induction furnace 750 to 950 kWh, rolling mill 50 to 80 kWh, wire drawing 0.08 Gcal and 200 to 240 kWh. Use them to spot a unit that sits far outside the cluster's range.
The ranges, per tonne of product
- DRI (direct reduced iron, or sponge iron): 4.5 Gcal of thermal energy and 70 to 80 kWh.
- Ferro alloys: 3 Gcal and 4,750 to 10,000 kWh.
- Electric induction furnace: 750 to 950 kWh, no thermal energy.
- Reheating furnace: 0.5 Gcal and 4 to 6 kWh.
- Rolling mill: 50 to 80 kWh.
- Galvanizing: 0.3 Gcal and 10 to 15 kWh.
- Wire drawing: 0.08 Gcal and 200 to 240 kWh.
Turning Gcal into something you can compare
One Gcal is 4.1868 gigajoules (GJ). DRI at 4.5 Gcal is about 18.8 GJ a tonne, a reheating furnace at 0.5 Gcal is about 2.1 GJ, and wire drawing at 0.08 Gcal is about 0.33 GJ. Your own fuel bills give tonnes of coal or litres of oil, so convert with your fuel's calorific value.
How to use the table
- Divide a year's kWh for one process by that process's tonnes. Do not use the whole-site bill unless it is one process.
- TERI notes that energy per tonne varies widely with scale, technology and operating practice, so use these as typical ranges, not targets.
- A figure far above the range is a prompt to look at the furnace, the load factor and the meter, not proof of a fault.
Example: an induction furnace melting 1,200 t a month (example figures)
- Range: 1,200 x 750 = 900,000 kWh to 1,200 x 950 = 1,140,000 kWh a month
- Furnace meter shows 1,260,000 kWh: 1,050 kWh per tonne, 100 above the top of the range
- Excess: 100 x 1,200 = 120,000 kWh a month, about 81 t CO2 at 0.675 kg per kWh (Central Electricity Authority, FY 2025-26)
Example numbers. Check that the meter covers only the furnace before drawing conclusions.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads your electricity and fuel bills into monthly figures per site, so energy per tonne is one division away once you add tonnes made. It does not replace a process meter.
Sources: TERI and SAMEEEKSHA, Situational Analysis of Durgapur Secondary Steel Cluster (2024), Table 2
Last reviewed 2026-11-04. Typical cluster ranges from TERI's 2024 study; compare with your own metered data.