Turkey increased scrap imports by 6.7% y/y in 2024

Turkish steel enterprises increased imports of ferrous scrap by 6.7% in 2024 compared to 2023, up to 20.09 million tons. This is evidenced by data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), Kallanish reports.

In December 2024, Turkish metallurgists imported 1.85 million tons of relevant raw materials, up 11.1% compared to December 2023 and 25.5% compared to the previous month. The average transaction price amounted to $395 per tonne compared to $385 per tonne in December 2023 and $398 per tonne in November.

The key suppliers of raw materials in December are the United States – 304.55 thsd tonnes (-24.4% y/y), the Netherlands – 240.03 thsd tonnes (+1.6%), the United Kingdom – 246.31 thsd tonnes (+220.1%), Lithuania – 151.56 thsd tonnes (0 thsd tonnes in December 2023), Belgium – 189.64 thsd tonnes (+138.7%).

In 2024, the largest volumes of raw materials were supplied by the United States – 4.53 million tons of raw materials, followed by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. At the same time, rebar exports from Turkey in 2024 decreased by 1% to 3.34 million tons.

Before the introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in 2026, the European Steel Association (EUROFER) is actively advocating for restrictions on scrap exports from the EU and a reduction in its cost. According to the Turkish Steel Producers Association (TCUD), such measures could lead to a reduction in scrap procurement, which in turn poses risks to sustainable development and green transformation of the industry.

“Reducing scrap exports could harm the circular economy. In order to prevent unreasonable initiatives under the pretext of ‘scrap leakage’, we need to intensify the dialogue with the European Commission,” said TCUD Secretary General Veysel Jajan.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in 2023, Turkey reduced scrap imports by 10% compared to 2022, to 18.83 million tons. The decrease in scrap imports to the country was due to low utilization of local steel mills.

Turkey ranks eighth in the world in terms of steel production. In 2024, Turkish steelmakers increased steel production by 9.4% compared to 2023, to 36.89 million tons.