Ukraine imported 69,000 tons of coke in January

In January 2026, Ukrainian steel enterprises increased imports of coke and semi-coke (UKTZED 2704) by 18.8% compared to the previous month, to 68.96 thousand tons. Compared to the same period in 2025, volumes decreased by 25,7%. This is evidenced by GMK Center calculations based on data from the State Customs Service.

All supplies for the month came from Poland. The cost of raw material imports increased by 14.3% month-on-month and decreased by 21% year-on-year, to $23.62 million.

Between 2013 and 2024, coking coal production in Ukraine fell by 74%, and coke production by almost 85%. Most of the mines and coke chemical plants remained in uncontrolled territories – 64% of the total number.

According to GMK Center estimates, to maintain production at the current level, namely 6.5 million tons of steel produced 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 early April 2025, the first ship 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 planned to carry out similar import deliveries on a monthly basis.

It should be noted that in 2025, Ukraine imported 700,650 tons of coke and semi-coke, which is 5.9% more than in 2024. The bulk of the year’s supplies came from Poland – 657,840 tons. Another 27.67 thousand tons of coke were imported from Indonesia and 15.08 thousand tons from the Czech Republic. Raw material import costs increased by 1.4% year-on-year to $238.66 million.