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Flat rolled steel

Coated flat products account for about half of imports

In 2024, 983.49 thousand tons of flat products were supplied to the Ukrainian market, up 8.3% compared to 2023. In 2023, import volumes were estimated at 908.21 thousand tons, in 2022 at 470.11 thousand tons, and in 2021 at 702.77 thousand tons. This is based on GMK Center’s calculations based on data from the State Customs Service.

About half of the imports were coated flat products (HS 7210), amounting to 468.61 thousand tons, up 7% compared to 2023. The main suppliers of products during the year were Turkey – 197.92 thousand tons (+47.4% y/y), Poland – 63.86 thousand tons (+8.7%), and Slovakia – 54.47 thousand tons (-6.9%).

Hot-rolled flat products (HS 7208) accounted for another 34.7% of supplies, or 341.21 thousand tons (+8.7% y/y). Turkey is the key exporter of these products, accounting for 257.89 thousand tons (+65.5% y/y). Another 19.73 thousand tons were imported from China (+65% y/y), and 21.23 thousand tons from Italy (-28.1%).

Also, 79.31 thousand tons of cold-rolled flat products (HS 7209) were imported last year, down 0.9% y/y. Turkey imported 55.48 thousand tons of the product (+4.3% y/y), China – 7.18 thousand tons (+136.3%), Slovakia – 5.19 thousand tons (-58.7%).

In December, Ukrainian consumers imported 87.82 thousand tons of flat products, up 13.8% y/y and 21.5% m/m. Shipments of coated flat products amounted to 42.26 kt (+36.1% y/y, +16% m/m), flat hot-rolled products – 33.75 kt (+12.8% y/y, +38.7% m/m), and flat cold-rolled products – 4.57 kt (-57.8% y/y, +9.3% m/m).

In 2024, the cost of imports of flat products increased by 5% y/y – to $1.08 billion, and in December – by 4.2% m/m and 10.6% y/y, to $87.47 million.

As GMK Center reported earlier, in 2023, Ukraine increased imports of flat steel products by 93.2% compared to 2022, up to 908.2 thousand tons. Import costs increased by 48.4% y/y – to $1.03 billion. Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and China were the largest suppliers of products.