According to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in the first quarter of the current year Turkey's hot rolled coil (HRC) exports amounted to 435,672 mt, reaching the highest level since the second quarter of 2011. The country's hot rolled coil exports were almost triple compared to the corresponding period of 2012 and up 53.4 percent over the fourth quarter of 2012. As can be seen in the chart below, Italy was the largest HRC export destination for Turkey in the first three months of the current year.
Turkey's hot rolled coil exports to Italy almost quintupled in the first quarter of the current year compared to the same period of 2012, totaling 196,260 mt, constituting the highest level after the 383,518 mt recorded in the second quarter of 2011. However, Turkey exported 49,178 mt of hot rolled coil to Italy in March this year, decreasing strongly compared to the 100,590 mt recorded in the previous month.
On the other hand, Portugal which was Turkey's second largest export destination for hot rolled coil in the first quarter of this year, increased its hot rolled coil imports from Turkey to historic record levels in February and March this year, amounting to 19,938 mt and 22,956 mt respectively. In the first quarter of the year, Turkey's hot rolled coil exports to Portugal increased significantly compared to the 2,599 mt recorded in the same quarter of the previous year, rising to 47,402 mt.
In March this year, Turkey's total hot rolled coil (HRC) exports amounted to 140,210 metric tons, down 22.7 percent compared to the previous month but more than double compared to March 2012. The decrease in Turkey's hot rolled coil exports in March on month-on-month basis followed seven consecutive months of upward movement.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of the current year Turkey's hot rolled plate exports totaled 23,871 mt, decreasing strongly by 67.5 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, and down 25.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2012. Turkey's hot rolled sheet exports in the first quarter fell by 5.9 percent compared to the previous quarter to 32,547 mt, while they decreased 11.3 percent on year-on-year basis.