Turkey increased exports of steel products by 18.6% y/y in 1H2025

Steel imports during this period grew by 12.6% y/y

In January-June 2025, Turkey increased its exports of steel products by 18.6% compared to the same period in 2024, to 7.7 million tons. In terms of value, the indicator reached $5.2 billion (+8.8% y/y). This is evidenced by data from the Turkish Steel Producers Association (TCUD).

In June of this year, steel exports increased by 21.5% compared to June 2024, reaching 1.4 million tons. Export revenue increased by 13.5% y/y, reaching $931.3 million.

Imports of steel products increased by 12.6% in the first six months compared to January-June of the previous year, to 9.3 million tons, and in June by 52.4% y/y, to 1.8 million tons. Import costs reached $9.3 billion (-0.3% y-o-y) in the first six months and $1.2 billion (+28.7% y/y) in June. The export-to-import coverage ratio fell from 80.2% to 73.5%.

Domestic consumption of finished steel products decreased by 2.6% y/y – to 18.6 million tons in January-June, and increased by 8.8% y/y – to 3.1 million tons in June. Steel production in the first six months fell by 1.7% y/y – to 18.3 million tons. In June, Turkish steelmakers produced 2.9 million tons of steel (-3.5% y/y).

In the first half of the year, Turkey’s steel sector faced a decline in production and consumption, as well as increasing pressure from imports. Despite a partial recovery in domestic demand, steel imports from the Far East and Russia continued to grow, which only exacerbated the trade imbalance.

Of particular concern is the domestic processing (DİR) mechanism, which is increasingly being used to import products that compete with local producers. This calls for a review of the rules and objectives of this regime.

Amid changes in the global market, Turkey is also seeing increased support for the steel sector in the EU. This creates additional challenges for Turkish producers, who face unequal competitive conditions. In response, the sector is calling for protective measures to avoid pressure from redirected imports.

As GMK Center reported earlier, Turkey increased its steel exports by 27.6% y/y – to 13.4 million tons in 2024. Steel imports in 2024 amounted to 17.4 million tons (+1.7% y/y). Rolled steel consumption in the country last year grew by only 0.6% y/y, to 38.3 million tons.