Steel products imports to Ukraine increased to 1.26 million tons in 2024

Imports of steel products (long/flat products, pipes) to Ukraine increased by 6.4% year-on-year to 1.26 million tons in 2024. At the same time, Türkiye accounts for more than 50% of the supply of these products to the Ukrainian market, while in 2023 this figure was 41%.

Last year, imports of flat products by Ukrainian consumers increased by 8.3% y/y – to 983.49 thousand tons. The most popular products include: coated flat products (HS 7210) – 468.61 thousand tons (+7% y/y), hot-rolled flat products (HS 7208) – 341.2 thousand tons (+8.7%), cold-rolled flat products (HS 7209) – 79.3 thousand tons (-0.9%). Türkiye shipped 527.7 thousand tons of flat products to Ukraine (+47.4% y/y), China – 96.6 thousand tons (-35.7%), Slovakia – 88.16 thousand tons (-34.5%).

Last year, supplies of imported long products to the Ukrainian market increased by 2.9% y/y – to 171.9 thousand tons. The key imports were angles, shapes and special profiles (HS 7216) – 76.69 thousand tons (+16.8% y/y), other rods and bars of carbon steel, without further processing, twisted (HS 7214) – 43.84 thousand tons (-29.7%). The bulk of the products were imported from Türkiye – 108.87 thousand tons (+11.1% y/y), Poland – 18.33 thousand tons (+11.2%), and China – 9.08 thousand tons (+12.9%).

In 2024, imports of pipes to Ukraine decreased by 4.3% compared to 2023, to 100.63 thousand tons. The most imported products include other hollow pipes, tubes and profiles of ferrous metals (HS – 7306) – 68.77 thousand tons (+29.1% y/y), and hollow pipes, tubes and profiles, seamless of ferrous metals (HS – 7304) – 25.42 thousand tons (-46.3%). The key suppliers of pipes are:

• Türkiye – 51.99 thousand tons (+74.7% y/y);
• China – 23.72 thousand tons (44.9%);
• Poland – 6.9 thousand tons (-20.2%);
• Austria – 2.96 thsd tonnes (-33.4%).

Thus, there has been a gradual strengthening of the position of Turkish producers in the Ukrainian rolled steel and pipes market, partly due to a decline in imports from other countries, including China and Slovakia. Last year alone, the share of such products increased by about 10%.

These trends may be driven by economic factors, such as competitive prices and trade agreements, as well as geopolitical changes affecting supply chains and the supply of steel products. If the momentum continues, Türkiye may further strengthen its presence in the Ukrainian rolled steel market, displacing traditional suppliers.

“Unfortunately, the growth in imports reflects the negative results of three years of war: destroyed facilities, the highest electricity prices in Europe, broken supply chains, staff shortages, and 3-5 times more expensive logistics for companies. All of this leads to a loss of production margins and a loss of competitiveness compared to Turkish, Chinese and other competitors. We need to take into account that we simply cannot produce many types of products due to the loss of capacities,” comments Stanislav Zinchenko, CEO of GMK Center.