EU steel imports fell 6% on-year in the first half of 2025 to 14.82 million tonnes, although intake of long products grew, while semi-finished steel imports surged, Kallanish notes.
Flat products intake in H1 fell 12.5% to 9.3mt, with carbon steel hot rolled coil down 26% to 3.51mt, metallic coated sheet down 7% to 1.998mt, and cold rolled coil down 15.5% to 1.09mt, according to preliminary data from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union.
However, intake of organic coated sheet, electrical steel sheet, carbon steel HR sheets and plates, and stainless steel flats all increased in the period. Most notably, organic coated sheet imports were up 22% to 486,793t, while stainless HRC and CRC intake rose 36% and 62% respectively to 92,624t and 313,855t. Non-grain and grain-oriented electrical steel sheet imports grew 26% and 24% respectively to 153,046t and 128,966t.
Longs imports in H1 rose 6% to 3.94mt. Although intake of rebar and wire rod declined, imports of non-alloy and alloy merchant bar and light sections rose 15% and 117% respectively to 352,688t and 390,502t. Intake of angles, shapes and sections grew 48% to 153,957t.
Semis imports surged 65% in H1 to 171,456t.
The preliminary data does not indicate import origins.
As for imports specifically of products under steel safeguard measures into the EU, tonnage in H1 amounted to 13.49mt, down 7.5% on-year. This was despite a huge jump in intake of category 3A electrical sheets (other than GOES), as well as increases in imports of multiple stainless steel categories, category 12 non alloy and other alloy merchant bars and light sections, and category 17 angles, shapes and sections of iron or non alloy steel.
Adam Smith Austria
