According to the Economic and Steel Market Outlook 2025-2026/Q4 2025 Report from the Economic Committee of the European Steel Association (EUROFER), total exports of steel products of EU countries to foreign markets decreased by eight percent year on year in the first eight months of 2025. Finished and flat product exports fell by nine percent and six percent respectively, while long product exports recorded a sharp 15 percent fall, all year on year.
According to information released by EUROFER, in the first eight months the main destinations for EU steel exports were the UK, US, Turkey, Switzerland and India. These five destinations together accounted for 59 percent of total EU finished product exports. Countries which recorded year-on-year increases for EU finished steel exports were Algeria with 83 percent, India with 28 percent and the UK with 14 percent. Exports to the Egypt declined by 32 percent, while exports to China, the US, Turkey, Norway, and Switzerland recorded 25 percent, 17 percent, 12 percent, 11 percent and one percent decreases, respectively.
The main destination countries for EU finished steel exports with a finished product trade surplus in the first eight months of 2025 were the US with 181,000 mt, the UK with 163,000 mt and Switzerland with 113,000 mt.
The five largest trade deficits for finished products with individual trade partners over the given period were with South Korea (295,000 mt), Turkey (283,000 mt), Taiwan (178,000 mt), China (175,000) and Vietnam (165,000 mt).