Scrap exports from Ukraine decreased by 50% m/m in January

Almost all of the raw materials are sent to Poland

In January 2025, the Ukrainian scrap industry reduced exports of ferrous scrap by 50.3% year-on-year – to 15.69 thousand tons. This is according to GMK Center’s calculations based on data from the State Customs Service.

Compared to January 2024, shipments of raw materials decreased by 8.5%. Thus, exports fell to their lowest level since May last year.

Poland became the key destination for raw material exports. The Polish market received 15.47 thousand tons of scrap, which is 98.5% of the total supply. A small part was exported to Germany.

Revenues from scrap exports in January decreased by 52.4% month-on-month and 13.2% y/y – to $4.41 million.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in 2024, Ukraine’s scrap exports increased by 60% compared to 2023, to 293.2 thousand tons. In 2023, shipments of raw materials abroad exceeded 182.5 thousand tons, up 3.4 times year-on-year, while in 2022 the figure was 54.1 thousand tons. The key consumers of raw materials last year were Poland (248.6 thousand tons), Greece (34.2 thousand tons), and Germany (6.5 thousand tons).

The global scrap market started 2025 with mixed dynamics. In the US and Europe, prices gradually rose amid limited supply and increased demand, while in China they declined due to weak activity in the steel industry. Turkey, one of the key importers of scrap, is also experiencing a period of volatility, but in February the market began to show signs of recovery.