Turkey increased scrap imports by 15.4% y/y in January

In January 2026, Turkey increased its scrap imports by 15.4% year-on-year – to 1.7 million tons, according to SteelOrbis, citing data from the Turkish Statistical Institute.

Compared to December 2025, this figure decreased by 1.2%.

The value of these imports amounted to $635.43 million, which is 1.7% more than in the previous month and 14.7% year-on-year.

In January, Turkey imported 358,150 tons of scrap from the US (+143.3% year-on-year). The Netherlands, which ranks second, supplied 220.86 thousand tons of this raw material to the country (-13% y/y). The United Kingdom, which ranks third among the largest suppliers, accounted for 155.9 thousand tons (-24.2% y/y).

It should be noted that in January of this year, Turkey reduced its steel exports by 18.4% year-on-year, to 911,800 tons. Steel imports to the country decreased by 26.1% year-on-year, to 1.28 million tons. In January, the ratio of steel exports to imports increased to 68.2% compared to 63.6% recorded in the same period of 2025.

In the first month of this year, Turkish steelmakers produced 3.39 million tons of steel, which is 5.8% more year-on-year.

As reported by GMK Center, the global scrap market has been in a growth phase since the beginning of 2026. Raw material prices for the period from December 26, 2025, to February 13, 2026, increased by 1.5-13.0% depending on the region. The most positive dynamics are observed in the European market.