Exclusive Ukraine imported 364,700 tons of metallurgical coke in January-July

Polish products account for the bulk of supplies

In January-July 2025, Ukrainian steel enterprises increased imports of coke and semi-coke (HS – 2704) by 6.1% compared to the same period in 2024, to 364.67 thousand tons. This is evidenced by GMK Center calculations based on data from the State Customs Service.

In July, imports of coke amounted to 40.51 thousand tons, which is 53.4% more than in the previous month and 16.4% less than in July 2024. Since the beginning of the year, there has been a slowdown in raw material supplies, but the average monthly figure is still higher than in 2024 – 52.1 thousand tons versus 49.1 thousand tons – thanks to high import volumes in the first quarter.

The bulk of supplies over the seven months came from Poland – 330.4 thousand tons. Another 27.7 thousand tons of coke were imported from Indonesia, and 6.6 thousand tons from the Czech Republic. In July, supplies from Poland increased by 43.9% month-on-month (38 thousand tons), the Czech Republic supplied 2.5 thousand tons of raw materials to the Ukrainian market (0 thousand tons in June), while Indonesia did not supply coke.

Spending on raw material imports in January-July decreased by 2.8% y/y – to $121.05 million, while in July it increased by 58.7% m/m and decreased by 22.1% y/y – to $14.61 million.

Between 2013 and 2024, coking coal production in Ukraine decreased by 74%, and coke production by almost 85%. Currently, most of the mines and coke chemical enterprises remain in uncontrolled territories – 64% of the total list.

According to GMK Center estimates, to maintain production at the current level, namely the production of up to 6.5 million tons of steel by converter and open-hearth methods and 1.3 million tons of commercial pig iron, Ukraine needs 3.2 million tons of coke per year, of which up to 20% was imported in 2024. In 2025, import volumes are likely to increase due to the shutdown of the Pokrovsk Coal Group.

In early April, the first ship of 2025 with coking coal from the US, chartered by the Metinvest Group, arrived in Ukraine. The bulk carrier delivered 80,000 tons of raw materials from the United Coal Company, which is part of the group. Metinvest plans to carry out similar import deliveries every month.

In 2024, Ukraine imported 661,490 tons of coke and semi-coke, which is twice the figure for 2023. A significant increase in supplies occurred in the second half of the year. Import costs for the year increased by 81.9% year-on-year – to $235.47 million.