The Częstochowa steelworks is making defence and dual-use products one of its strategic growth areas, with the goal of becoming a permanent link in European military supply chains. The company says the previously reported 7% share of defence output was only a picture of the situation at a particular moment, not the final level.
– Defence and dual-use products are becoming an increasingly important development direction for Huta Częstochowa. The current percentage share is not the main issue, because many projects are at the stage of material qualification, trial production, technical arrangements or building long-term supply chains – said Grzegorz Gudzbeler, vice-president for dual-use products and board member of the Military Property Agency.
Compared with a few months ago, the number and potential scale of projects involving the mill have expanded. Gudzbeler listed military vehicles, shipbuilding, weapon systems and defence infrastructure as the main areas where Huta Częstochowa is already participating or preparing to participate.
From armour plate to certified construction steel
The mill does not want to reduce defence production to armour plate. It is working on high-strength steels for military vehicles and ballistic protection, including thinner plates, and on structural grades in the S620-S960 range that can be used in civilian and special-purpose structures.
Shipbuilding steel is another branch. After meeting the requirements of individual projects and classification societies, the mill’s plates could be used for navy vessels. The company also supplies certified materials for defence and critical infrastructure, where the key is not a separate military steel category but compliance with technical specifications of particular investments.
Expanding this business means more volume, a broader product portfolio, new qualifications, certifications and technological trials, as well as production adapted to defence industry requirements.
SAFE programme makes European sourcing more important
The effects of the SAFE programme can already be seen in investment plans and in how market players behave. Poland is the largest beneficiary of the instrument, with funding of roughly 43.7 billion euros.
European defence policy is now putting more weight on manufacturing capacity and supply chains inside Europe. For the Częstochowa steelmaker, this may translate into demand for materials used directly in military applications and for products consumed by manufacturers of vehicles, weapons, ships and defence infrastructure.
– It is still too early for the whole SAFE programme to translate into concrete additional tonnes of orders for the mill. However, the direction of change is very clear: security of supply, European origin of materials and the possibility of increasing production in Europe are becoming much more important than they were just a few years ago – Gudzbeler said.
Cooperation with the domestic defence industry is also developing. The company is working with companies from the Polish Armaments Group and holding talks with major international arms producers and suppliers.
– Our goal is to include Huta Częstochowa in their long-term supply chains and to increase the share of materials produced in Poland in defence programmes – Gudzbeler said.
The talks cover more than current deliveries. They also include technological cooperation, qualification of new steel grades and preparation of products for specific programmes and military equipment manufacturers. Some of these efforts may be announced at this year’s International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO in Kielce.
– We hope that part of these activities will be finalised and presented during MSPO in Kielce. We expect it to be an opportunity to inform about new agreements and partnerships of Huta Częstochowa with Polish and international defence industry entities – Gudzbeler said.
The mill’s role in national security will be one of the topics at the Przemysł dla Obronności conference, scheduled for 14 October 2026 at the International Congress Centre in Katowice.
Huta Częstochowa has a full technological line from steelmaking to rolling heavy plates, which allows domestic supply chains for defence materials to be built. In the current geopolitical situation, the ability to produce the right material in Poland and ensure continuity of deliveries has strategic importance.
The ownership structure reflects that direction. The Military Property Agency is a shareholder alongside Węglokoks, confirming that the company is seen as part of the state’s security and industrial potential. The mill has also obtained the NCAGE code used in the NATO Codification System. Combined with its licence and competences in military goods trading, this creates the basis for wider activity on the defence market at home and abroad.
For the company, the current percentage of defence output is less important than rebuilding Poland’s industrial capacity to supply material for domestic and allied arms producers, shipbuilding and defence infrastructure. The long-term goal is to reduce dependence on suppliers from outside Poland and Europe, with Huta Częstochowa becoming one of the country’s key steel sources for the expanding defence industry.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Huta Częstochowa / PTWP / Piotr Myszor
