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According to the data released by metal trading enterprise Ukrainian Mining and Metallurgical Company (UGMK), in the first four months of 2010 Ukraine's imports of rolled steel products more than doubled and amounted to around 403,300 mt, showing a 139.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
 
In April this year, Ukraine increased its imports of rolled steel products by 10.4 percent compared to March, and by 132.5 percent compared to April 2009. Rebar imports were almost nonexistent in April this year, while imports of hot rolled sheet products increased.
 
In January-April 2010, imports of steel products in Ukraine were as follows: 

	Jan-Apr 2009	Jan-Apr 2010	Jan-Apr 2009/2010, change (mt)	Jan-Apr 2009/2010, change (%)	Apr 2009/April 2010, change (mt)	Apr 2009/April 2010, change (%)
Rebar	33,550	6,973	-26,577	-79.2	-8,214	-93.8
Beam	2,376	3,147	+771	+32.4	+615	+163.6
Wire rod	2,089	4,250	+2,160	+103.4	+146	+25.7
Round bar	15,216	35,242	+20,026	+131.6	+981	+17
HR sheet/coil	22,167	110,040	+87,873	+396.4	+25,841	+458.3
Galvanized steel	16,681	43,783	+27,101	+162.5	+7,561	+97.3
CR sheet/coil	20,239	25,435	+5,196	+25.7	+1,293	+17
Round billet	39,545	128,513	+88,969	+225	+26,957	+253
Pipe	13,251	15,827	+2,576	+19.4	+1,229	+42.9
Angle	997	2,178	+1,181	+118.5	+899	+138.3
Channel	1,259	1,220	-39	-3.1	+273	+76.9
Other	1,230	26,717	+25,487	+2072	+10,246	+4895.9
Total	168,600	403,325	+234,724	+139.2	+67,827	+132.5

In January-April 2010, the biggest share in overall steel imports to Ukraine was held by round billets, which increased from 23.5 percent in the same period last year to 31.9 percent. In addition, during the period in question the share of HR sheet/coils went up from 13.1 percent to 27.3 percent, while the share of galvanized steel increased from 10.9 percent to 11.9 percent. UGMK noted that these increases are due to the significant drop in rebar imports (from 19.9 percent to 1.7 percent), as well as due to the year-on-year decreases in the shares of pipes and CR sheet/coils in Ukraine's total volume of steel imports, which dropped from 7.9 percent to 3.9 percent and from 12 percent to 6.8 percent respectively.
 
The main suppliers of round billets to Ukraine in January-April this year were Russia's Oskol Metallurgical Plant, a subsidiary of Metalloinvest, and Byelorussian Iron and Steel Works, the shares of which amounted to 64.4 percent and 25.7 percent respectively of total supplies. About 84.9 percent of total imports of round billets were supplied to Interpipe's pipemaking subsidiaries.
 
Meanwhile, Ukraine's main importers of HR sheet/coils in the first four months of 2010 were Russian steelmakers Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works (MMK) and Severstal, the respective shares of which amounted to 83.2 and 9.1 percent of total deliveries.
 
During the period in question, Ukraine's main importers of rolled steel products were the pipe sector, which increased its share of overall steel imports into the country to 47.2 percent, from 29.9 percent for January-April 2009, and the machine building sector, with its share of overall imports amounting to 18.1 percent, compared to 21.4 percent in the same period last year. Meanwhile, the local metal trade sector saw a decrease in its share of steel imports to 14.4 percent, down from 35.4 percent in the first four months of 2009, UGMK said.