Export duties and zero quotas on scrap will preserve strategic raw materials – Kalenkov

The export duty on scrap in Ukraine in the amount of $180 per ton and a zero quota (temporary export ban) are elements of the general infrastructure that will make it possible to keep strategic raw materials within the country.

This was stated by Alexander Kalenkov, President of Ukrmetprom, in an interview with GMK Center. The full text of the interview will be available on the website on Friday, November 28.

«The export duty of €180/ton is very important because it currently prevents scrap from being exported directly from Ukraine to countries such as Turkey. However, it does not apply to a number of countries with which Ukraine has free trade agreements, primarily the European Union. This is actively exploited by unscrupulous exporters who export scrap in transit through European countries,» Kalenkov explained.

He stressed that everyone knows about the delivery of Ukrainian scrap to the western border and then to European ports, in particular Gdansk, Klaipeda, or Varna, from where the raw materials are mainly sent to Turkey and India. In other words, Ukrainian scrap ends up in countries that directly or indirectly purchase energy resources from Russia, thereby supporting the aggressor country in its war against Ukraine.

“From the point of view of sensus communis, European steelmakers receive a minimal amount of Ukrainian scrap, with the lion’s share transiting through ports to Turkey and India. In other words, Ukraine and the European Union together are ”feeding» their competitors in the steel industry with their own hands. That is why Eurofer considered the possibility of initiating the introduction of a certain fee for the re-export of Ukrainian scrap from the territory of the bloc. However, the Brussels bureaucracy works slowly, and Ukrainian steelmakers need effective measures to stabilize the market in the context of military operations ‘yesterday’,» added the head of Ukrmetprom.

As reported by GMK Center, Ukraine has been trying for many years to curb the outflow of scrap metal abroad in order to provide raw materials for domestic steel industry.

Since 2015, Ukraine has been imposing export duties, which have increased from €10/t to €180/t. Over time, the €180/t duty ceased to curb the export flow of scrap.

In January–September 2025, scrap exports from Ukraine increased by 54.1% to 311.8 thousand tons. The growth rate of raw material exports in 2023 and 2024 was even higher, increasing 3.4 times year-on-year – to 182,500 tons and 60% year-on-year to 293,200 tons, respectively. At the same time, scrap procurement decreased from 4–5 to 1.2–1.5 million tons per year, due to the economic downturn and military operations.

Starting in 2026, Ukraine plans to set a zero quota on exports of ferrous metal scrap.