Jindal Stainless has partnered with Indian Railways to develop India’s first corrosion-resistant stainless steel container designed specifically for bulk salt transportation, the company said in a stock exchange filing.
The 20-ft prototype, which completed trials on February 10, 2026, is fully fabricated from stainless steel, using Grade 304 for the container body and JT Grade (N7) for external stiffeners to balance corrosion resistance, strength, and weight.
According to the company, the container offers an expected lifespan of 15-20 years, nearly six to seven times longer than conventional containers, with minimal maintenance requirements and lower lifecycle costs. Each container has a tare weight of 3.0 tons and a payload capacity of 33.0 tons. A single rake of 48 wagons (96 containers) can transport around 3,300 tons of salt, replacing nearly 100 road trailers and significantly reducing associated CO2 emissions.
The stainless steel design also eliminates the need for tarpaulin covers, reduces contamination and wastage, and enables faster turnaround through mechanized loading and unloading.
The prototype was fabricated by Kalyani Cast Tech Private Limited. Jindal Stainless added that it has also developed other lightweight, corrosion-resistant rail and road containers, allowing an additional 1.5-2.0 tons of payload per trip.
As India’s largest stainless steel producer, Jindal Stainless is expanding its annual melt capacity to 4.2 mln tons by FY27. The company operates 16 manufacturing and processing facilities across India, Spain, and Indonesia, along with a global network spanning 12 countries. Its product portfolio includes slabs, coils, plates, sheets, precision strips, blade steel, and coin blanks.
