According to the data issued by the Russian Special Steel and Alloys Consumers and Suppliers Association (Spetsstal), in 2009 Russia's consumption of the main stainless steel products decreased by 36 percent year on year to 192,000 mt. Meanwhile, the country's 2009 output of stainless steel decreased by 32.7 percent, its stainless imports went down by 38.7 percent, while exports dropped by 39.2 percent, all compared to 2008.
Spetsstal said that the results in question show that in 2009 the Russian stainless steel market regressed six years.
Accordingly, the Russian stainless steel market still remains highly dependent on imports, which accounted for a 57 percent share of overall domestic consumption in 2009.