Exclusive A paradoxical situation has arisen on the Ukrainian scrap market

The main export destination has become the European Union, which itself is a major supplier of scrap

Ukrainian scrap collectors have completely reoriented exports to Poland, according to GMK Center calculations based on data from the State Customs Service. Previously, Turkey was the main destination, but since 2023, Polish companies have become the main buyers.

The year before last, they purchased 160.6 thousand tons of Ukrainian scrap, or 88% of the total exported volume. Last year, supplies to Poland increased to 248.6 thousand tons, which amounted to 85% of scrap exports. This year, in January-February, Polish counterparties received 38.85 thousand tons of Ukrainian raw materials, 94.8% of the total export volume.

Thus, scrap supplies in the European direction are growing rapidly. At the same time, the European Union, unlike Turkiey, is itself a major scrap exporter. This means that European metallurgists do not experience the same problems with scrap supply that their Ukrainian colleagues face. In 2024, European scrap suppliers sent 16.72 million tons of scrap abroad. Including scrap exports from Poland amounted to about 1.3 million tons.

At the same time, the few operating Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises are faced with the threat of reducing steel and rolled product production, including due to a lack of scrap. In turn, this reduces the revenue of metallurgists and, further down the chain, budget deductions. In early February, representatives of the metallurgical and foundry industries announced the threat of a significant scrap deficit in 2025 on the domestic market.

As reported, European scrap exports in 2024 fell by 10.8% to 16.72 million tonnes. More than 60% of the total supply went to Turkey – 10.62 million tonnes. This is 1.7% more than a year earlier.