Hoa Phat (HPG) Ships First 8,000T Galvanized Coil to Japan After JIS Certification

Overview

Hòa Phát Group’s sheet-steel subsidiary, Tôn Hòa Phát, has exported its first batch of roughly 8,000 tonnes of galvanized steel coil to Japan in Q4/2026, according to a company announcement. The shipment follows JIS certification obtained earlier in 2026 and opens a new export market for the unit within HPG, which trades on HOSE.

Key Facts

• First export order of approximately 8,000 tonnes of galvanized steel coil to Japan, delivered in Q4/2026.
• Product meets JIS G 3302, requiring Chromium 3+ or chromium-free surface treatment and no-spangle coating specifications.
• Shipment carries a Vietnamese Certificate of Origin (C/O), the basis for the buyer to assess tariff preferences.
• In early 2026, JICQA (JIC Quality Assurance Ltd.) granted JIS certification for four product lines: cold-rolled steel, galvanized sheet, aluminium-zinc coated sheet and colour-coated sheet.
• Tôn Hòa Phát operates European-imported lines with designed capacity of 600,000 tonnes per year.
• Nine-month 2026 sales volume reached 307,000 tonnes, ranking in Vietnam’s top five coated-steel producers; exports were 29.8% of that volume.
• Products are already shipped to 29 countries and territories across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

What Happened

Tôn Hòa Phát, the coated-steel arm of Tập đoàn Hòa Phát chaired by Trần Đình Long, confirmed the shipment in a company announcement reported by Vietnamese media. The batch of about 8,000 tonnes of galvanized coil marks the unit’s first delivery to Japan, a market the company had not previously served. To qualify, the product had to meet JIS G 3302 requirements covering dimensions, a no-spangle coating surface and specific surface-treatment technology, using Chromium 3+ or chromium-free processes.

The company said the shipment also carries a Vietnamese Certificate of Origin, which the Japanese buyer can use to evaluate preferential tariff treatment. The JIS certification was issued earlier in 2026 by JICQA for four product lines, which the company described as a key condition for meeting Japanese technical requirements. Tôn Hòa Phát said it will continue pushing exports of other strategic product lines and seek additional international markets. The announcement did not disclose the order’s value or the identity of the buyer.

Market Context

HPG closed at VND 20,400 on 2 November 2026 on HOSE. The Japan shipment is a marginal volume event for a group of Hòa Phát’s size, but it lands in a period when Vietnamese steel exporters face tightening trade defences in the US and EU, making diversified destination markets a relevant theme for the sector. Coated steel is a smaller segment than HPG’s core construction steel and hot-rolled coil output, so the direct earnings contribution of an 8,000-tonne order is limited; the signal value lies in market access rather than tonnage.

Strategic Significance

Japan is among the most exacting coated-steel markets in Asia, and qualifying under JIS G 3302 with chromium-free or Cr3+ treatment gives Tôn Hòa Phát a credential that is transferable to other developed markets and to Japanese-linked manufacturers operating across Southeast Asia. For HPG, the strategic value is optionality: a second high-standard export channel alongside ASEAN and other Asian buyers, which can absorb volume when anti-dumping actions constrain shipments elsewhere. The 600,000-tonne designed capacity means the unit has room to scale exports if Japanese demand proves repeatable, though the first order represents only a small fraction of annual capacity.

What to Watch

• Follow-on Japanese orders and whether shipment volumes scale beyond the initial ~8,000 tonnes.
• HPG’s Q4/2026 and full-year 2026 results for coated-steel segment volumes and export share versus the 29.8% nine-month level.
• Any disclosure of contract value, buyer identity or multi-year supply agreements with Japanese partners.
• Trade-policy developments in the US and EU that could redirect more HPG coated volume toward Asia.
• Further JIS or equivalent certifications for additional product lines that would widen the addressable export market.