Ukraine imported 324,000 tons of metallurgical coke in 1H2025

In January-June 2025, Ukrainian steel enterprises increased imports of coke and semi-coke (HS – 2704) by 9.8% compared to the same period in 2024, to 324,160 tons. This is evidenced by GMK Center calculations based on data from the State Customs Service.

In June, imports of coke amounted to 26.41 thousand tons, which is 35.8% less than in the previous month and 68% less than in June 2024. In May, they amounted to 41.12 thousand tons, in April – 44.26 thousand tons, in March – 56.44 thousand tons, in February – 63.43 thousand tons, and in January – 92.5 thousand tons. Thus, since the beginning of the year, there has been a slowdown in raw material supplies, while the average monthly figure is still higher than in 2024 – 54.03 thousand tons compared to 49.2 thousand tons. During the second quarter, the indicator fell by 39.1% y/y and 47.4% q/q – to 111.79 thousand tons.

The bulk of supplies for the first six months came from Poland – 292.37 thousand tons. Another 27.7 thousand tons of coke were imported from Indonesia, and 4.1 thousand tons from the Czech Republic. In June, supplies from Poland fell by 34.1% month-on-month, while the Czech Republic and Indonesia did not supply coke to the Ukrainian market.

Spending on raw material imports in January-June went up 0.6% year-over-year – to $106.43 million, while in June it dropped 35.7% month-over-month and 67.8% year-over-year – to $9.21 million.

Between 2013 and 2024, coking coal production in Ukraine decreased by 74%, and coke production by almost 85%. Currently, most of the mines and coke chemical enterprises remain in uncontrolled territories – 64% of the total list.

According to GMK Center estimates, to maintain production at the current level, namely the production of up to 6.5 million tons of steel by converter and open-hearth methods and 1.3 million tons of commercial pig iron, Ukraine needs 3.2 million tons of coke per year, of which up to 20% was imported in 2024. In 2025, import volumes are likely to grow due to the shutdown of the Pokrovsk Coal Group.

In early April, the first ship of 2025 with coking coal from the US, chartered by the Metinvest Group, arrived in Ukraine. The bulk carrier delivered 80,000 tons of raw materials from the United Coal Company, which is part of the group. Metinvest plans to carry out similar import deliveries every month.

In 2024, Ukraine imported 661,490 tons of coke and semi-coke, which is twice the figure for 2023. A significant increase in supplies occurred in the second half of the year. Import costs for the year increased by 81.9% year-on-year to $235.47 million.