According to figures for January–May 2026, Ukraine’s consumption of metal products increased by 2.2% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching 1.6 million metric tons. This is according to data from the state-owned enterprise “Ukrmetallurgprom.”
Imports during the period totaled 732,400 metric tons, or 46% of the domestic market. By comparison, in January–May 2025, the domestic market capacity was 1.55 million metric tons, of which 591,800 metric tons, or 38%, were imports. Thus, despite a slight decline in total consumption, the share of imports increased by 8%.
In the import mix, flat-rolled products continue to dominate over long products, accounting for 62.4% and 28.6%, respectively, although in January–May of last year this gap was significantly wider, reaching 76.8% versus 21.2%.
During the reporting period, Ukrainian steelmakers produced 2.34 million metric tons of rolled metal products (-6.7% year-over-year), of which they exported approximately 1.48 million metric tons, or 63.2%.
Semi-finished products accounted for 41.2% of export shipments, significantly exceeding the figure for the same period last year, which stood at 32.2%.
At the same time, the share of flat-rolled products in exports for the first five months of 2026 remained virtually unchanged compared to January–May 2025—47% versus 46.6%, respectively, whereas the share of long products decreased noticeably from 20.2% in 2025 to 11.8% in 2026.
The main markets for Ukrainian rolled steel remained EU countries, accounting for 78.6%, other European countries, which accounted for 11.7%, and CIS countries, with a share of 6.9%.
The key suppliers of steel products to Ukraine were other European countries, which ranked first with a 47.8% share; Asian countries, which ranked second with a 26.6% share; and the EU-27, which ranked third, accounting for 16% of imports.
Source: borgexpert.com
