According to the preliminary data, in the first two months of 2008 Ukraine increased its finished steel products output by four percent and its crude steel output by three percent year on year to 6.105 million metric tons and 7.132 million metric tons respectively. Meanwhile, during the period in question, Ukraine's pig iron production rose four percent to 5.92 million metric tons, compared to the corresponding period of 2007.
During the given period, Ukraine saw a 16 percent decrease in its steel pipe production to 371,000 metric tons but an 11 percent increase in its coke production to 3.53 million metric tons.
In its iron ore segment, in January-February 2008 Ukraine produced 12.98 million metric tons of iron ore - up six percent, 10.33 million metric tons of iron ore concentrate - up eight percent, 3.6 million metric tons of pellets - up one percent, all compared to January-February 2007. Meanwhile, Ukraine's production of agglomerate retained last year's level of 8.1 million metric tons.
In addition, during the first two months of 2008 scrap supplies to the Ukrainian steel mills went up by eight percent year on year to 936,000 metric tons.