Export shipments of semi-finished steel products from Ukraine declined to 472,000 mt in November this year, down by 34 percent compared to October. Such a sharp decline was partly connected with the unusual big export volume seen in October due to record-high slabs sales. In November, exports of billet have been reduced due to the stoppage of some equipment at major plants.
At the same time, in the January-November period, exports of semis from Ukraine totaled 6.549 million mt, up 13.5 percent year on year, according to customs data. Other major steel products posted lower export growth rates or even showed a reduction in exports. For example, HR flat steel products shipments increased by three percent to 3.681 million mt in the first 11 months of the year, while CRC exports dropped by 7.4 percent year on year to 701,360 mt.
Another important product in steel mills’ export portfolio - pig iron - also posted much lower results this year. In the January-November period this year, Ukraine shipped 2.351 million mt of pig iron abroad, 17 percent lower than in 2018.
It is expected that semi-finished products will keep their role as a driver of exports of steel and raw material products in Ukraine in the coming months. According to sources, DMK, which restarted one of its idled BFs in late November, is going to restart another BF in January