According to the customs statistics provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in 2009 Turkey's slab imports amounted to 212,245 metric tons, decreasing by 74.83 percent as compared to 2008. The value of these imports came to $133.12 million, down 79 percent year on year.
In the given year, slab imports from Russia, which stood at 133,960 metric tons, accounted for 63.12 percent of Turkey's total slab imports, down from 95.68 percent in 2008. Italy was the second main source of Turkish slab imports with approximately 40,000 metric tons, followed by the Netherlands with 27,860 metric tons.