Ukraine reduced imports of steel coke by 2.1% y/y in January–April

In January–April 2026, Ukraine’s steelworks reduced imports of coke and semi-coke (HS Code 2704) by 2.1% compared with the same period in 2025, to 251,320 tonnes. This is evidenced by calculations by the GMK Center based on data from the State Customs Service.

Almost the entire volume of supplies for the period consisted of Polish products – 246.19 thousand tonnes (+9% y-o-y). A further 3.06 thousand tonnes were imported from the Czech Republic, which is 0.5% less y-o-y. Expenditure on raw material imports over the four months rose by 5.7% y/y, to $87.65 million.

In April, coke imports into Ukraine rose by 35.3% y/y, but fell by 12.3% m/m, to 59.9 thousand tonnes, while import expenditure rose by 38.8% year-on-year and fell by 14.7% month-on-month, to $20.67 million.

Between 2013 and 2024, coking coal production in Ukraine fell by 74%, whilst coke production fell by almost 85%. The majority of mines and coking plants—64% of the total—remain in uncontrolled territories.

According to GMK Center’s calculations, to maintain production at current levels – namely, the production of up to 6.5 million tonnes of steel using converter and open-hearth processes and 1.3 million tonnes of merchant pig iron – Ukraine requires 3.2 million tonnes of coke per year, of which up to 20% was imported in 2024.

In early April 2025, the first vessel carrying coking coal from the US, chartered by the Metinvest Group, arrived in Ukraine. The bulk carrier delivered 80,000 tonnes of raw material from United Coal Company, a subsidiary 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 tonnes of coke and semi-coke, which is 5.9% more than in 2024. The bulk of the year’s imports consisted of Polish products – 657,840 tonnes. A further 27,670 tonnes of coke were imported from Indonesia and 15,080 tonnes from the Czech Republic. Expenditure on raw material imports rose by 1.4% year-on-year to $238.66 million.