Ukrainian galvanized rolled steel consumption increased last year by 41% on-year to 243,000 tonnes, says Metinvest SMC director of sales for metalworking Denys Yarko. In 2022, the figure was 172,000t.
“The main drivers for growth were the increase in demand in the civil construction segment and among end consumers, as well as the stabilisation of the electricity supply situation since the second quarter of last year,” he said at a government meeting this week. “About a third of the total consumption, 32.6%, was Ukrainian-made, with 79,000t of galvanized product going to the domestic market.”
Two thirds of the market is occupied by imported products, Kallanish notes. Of the 164,000t of imported galvanized steel consumed in Ukraine last year, the majority came from Turkey – 116,800t – doubling versus 2022.
In 2023, a significant volume of galvanized steel was also imported by Ukraine from Poland (13,600t), Slovakia (12,700t) and Romania (8,700t).
Metinvest SMC predicts further growth in consumption of galvanized steel in Ukraine. In 2024, the company expects the domestic market to increase by 19% on-year to 289,000t.
Ukrainian steel companies decreased production in February compared with the previous month to 531,900t, down by 2.2% from January, but this was up 25.5% year-on-year (see Kallanish passim). Output of pig iron decreased by 10.6% month-on-month to 495,700t, but was up 40.2% on-year. Rolled products output was 1.3% less on-month, but 35% more on-year at 447,200t.
In January-February, production of steel increased by 52% on-year to 1.08 million tonnes and pig iron by 42.4% to 1.05mt. Rolled products output surged by 52.9% to 900,200t.
Svetoslav Abrossimov Bulgaria
