Exclusive Turkey produced 3.15 million tons of steel in May

Pig iron production fell by 16.3% year-on-year in May

In May 2025, Turkish steel enterprises reduced steel production by 2.8% compared to May 2024, but increased it by 4.6% compared to the previous month, to 3.15 million tons. This is evidenced by data from the World Steel Association.

Pig iron production in the country fell by 2.1% month-on-month and 16.3% year-on-year to 742,000 tons last month.

During January-May, Turkey’s steel industry reduced steel production by 1.4% compared to the same period in 2024, to 15.41 million tons. Pig iron production for the period fell by 12.6% y/y, to 3.82 million tons.

It should be noted that in 2024, Turkish steelmakers increased steel production by 9.4% compared to 2023, to 36.89 million tons. Pig iron production in the country grew by 17.2% y-o-y last year, to 10.19 million tons. Average monthly steel production amounted to 3.07 million tons compared to 2.81 million tons in 2023, and pig iron production amounted to 848,800 tons and 724,200 tons, respectively.

Turkey’s steel industry achieved growth last year after two years of stagnation. This was facilitated by the active development of infrastructure projects, in particular the restoration of regions after the earthquake, growth in exports amid changes in global markets, and the modernization of metallurgical capacities.

Despite the positive dynamics, global challenges such as unstable demand and competition from Asian producers remain relevant and are affecting the figures at the beginning of the year. Overall, further growth is likely in 2025 thanks to government investment, the expansion of sales markets in the region, and the integration of environmental technologies, although the risks of falling raw material prices and geopolitical instability remain.

WorldSteel expects steel demand in Turkey to decline by 1.7% in 2025 compared to 2024, to 35.5 million tons.