Turkey’s cold-rolled coil exports jump, Italy top market

Turkey’s cold-rolled coil exports jumped to 547,800 mt in January-October 2021, 83% higher year on year, as South European demand supported Turkish mills’ export volumes, despite EU quotas, according to the latest monthly Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) data.

The downfall seen in demand in export markets in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic is another reason for this sharp year-on-year rise, sources noted.

According to the TUIK data, Italy became Turkey’s main CRC export market by far in the first ten months at 165,800 mt, three-fold higher on year, while Spain was Turkey’s second-largest CRC buyer in that period at 68,500 mt, double year on year.

Turkish mills’ CRC exports to Belgium also rose year on year to 51,500 mt in January-October, more than double on year.

North American demand also supported Turkish mill export volumes in 2021. Canada became another top CRC market for Turkish mills in January-October 2021 at 45,000 mt, around fourfold higher on year, while the US was Turkey’s fifth-largest CRC customer at 41,000 mt in that period, sharply higher than 17,300 mt exported to that country in the first ten months of the previous year.

Turkish mills also shipped 31,700 mt of CRC to Bulgaria, while shipments to Romania totaled 24,500 mt.

Turkish mills’ other CRC exports in Jan-Oct 2021 were: Iraq (16,700 mt), Portugal (13,500 mt), Poland (13,200 mt) and the UK (12,200 mt), the latest data showed.

— Cenk Can