The EU reduced DRI imports by 68% y/y in January–February

In January–February 2026, EU steelmakers reduced imports of direct reduced iron (DRI) by 68% compared to the same period in 2025, down to 130,500 metric tons. This is according to calculations by the GMK Center based on Eurostat data.

The United States was the main supplier during the period, with 66,630 metric tons, a 6% decrease compared to the same period in 2025. Nearly the entire volume was shipped to Austria—63,620 metric tons (+24.4% year-over-year).

Another 27.8 thousand tons of DRI imports arrived in the EU from Libya. Volumes decreased by 68.4% compared to January–February of last year. The entire shipment was sent to Spain. Meanwhile, last year Spanish steelmakers imported only 9,360 tons of direct reduced iron from Libya (+197% y/y).

In January, DRI imports to the EU were estimated at 71,320 tons (-71.5% y/y; -55.8% MoM), while in February the figure continued its downward trend, falling to 59,190 tons (-17% YoY; -76% YoY).

As a reminder, in 2025, the EU reduced direct reduced iron imports by 20% compared to the previous year—to 2.203 million tons. In 2024, this figure increased by 16.9% y/y.

The dynamics of DRI imports in the European Union in 2024–2025 largely reflect both a shift in supply channels and the weak conditions of the European steel market. The growth in 2024 was partly due to larger available volumes of Russian DRI/HBI within the EU’s transitional quotas: as of 2024, these stood at 1.14 million tons, while for 2025 they were reduced to 651,900 tons. Last year, imports declined amid weak steel demand in the European Union, where real consumption fell for the third consecutive year, and steel production dropped to 126.2 million tons.

Despite this, the structure of supplies continued to change: the EU increasingly replaced Russian supplies with shipments from Venezuela, the U.S., and Libya. Full replacement has not yet occurred, as even in 2025, Russia remained one of the largest suppliers of DRI to the EU market. As of 2026, imports of Russian DRI/HBI have been completely halted, so the European market’s shift toward alternative suppliers is only expected to intensify.