The Philippine Iron and Steel Institute (PISI) and the Steel and Stainless Steel Marketing Association of the Philippines Inc. (SASSMAPI) raised the alarm over the alleged widespread circulation of substandard steel products across the country, following separate test-buy operations conducted in early 2025.
Tested in Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-accredited laboratories to ensure impartiality, random purchases of steel reinforcing bars (under PNS 49) and angle bars (under PNS 657) revealed a disturbing pattern of non-compliance, the groups said.
According to PISI’s January to February 2025 report, 21 samples sourced from hardware stores in Central and Northern Luzon and Western Visayas failed to meet basic quality standards, most notably mass variation (MV), with all samples registering below the required tolerance levels.
Several samples also fell short in elongation (E), a key indicator of ductility and seismic resilience.
The groups said steel bars under one brand which appeared across eight test sites consistently failed for being underweight, sometimes with poor elongation.
PISI and SASSMAPI said other brands also failed the tests.
SASSMAPI said the March 2025 test-buys also uncovered multiple violations from steel products sold in Cebu and Cavite.
It said bars from Mindanao also showed severe underweight issues, with MV deviations reaching up to -19.98 percent. All tested products also failed dimensional checks on thickness and leg length, the two groups said.
PISI warned that the high incidence of non-conforming products points to a far larger volume of substandard steel circulating in the market.
“This isn’t just a matter of compliance. It’s a public safety issue. If left unaddressed, these materials compromise the integrity of buildings and infrastructure, especially in a country highly vulnerable to earthquakes,” said PISI president Ronald Magsajo.
The Institute called on the DTI’s Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) to continue and strengthen market enforcement activities and apply the maximum penalties allowed by law against offending manufacturers and distributors.