In May this year, Turkey’s hot rolled coil (HRC) exports amounted to 277,283 metric tons, up by 27.7 percent compared to April and down by 5.3 percent year on year, according to the preliminary data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). Meanwhile, the revenue generated by these exports totaled $169.14 million, increasing by 33.4 percent compared to the previous month and down by 1.6 percent year on year.
In the January-May period, Turkey's HRC exports amounted to 1.10 million mt, down 15.5 percent, while the value of these exports decreased by 15.6 percent to $633.30 million, both year on year.
Turkey’s hot rolled coil exports - last 12 months
In the January-May period of 2025, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Egypt stood out among Turkey’s leading hot rolled coil export markets, while Italy and Spain maintained their positions as the top two destinations in the same period of 2026, despite sharp declines in shipments to both markets. Exports to Italy fell by 24.5 percent year on year to 266,259 mt, while exports to Spain decreased by 46.6 percent to 130,189 mt. Exports to Portugal, which was the third-largest market last year, declined by 66.8 percent to 37,374 mt, while Greece moved up to third place despite a 16.6 percent decrease. By contrast, exports to Bulgaria increased by 270.7 percent to 64,704 mt, exports to Belgium rose by 172.2 percent to 61,073 mt, and exports to the UK surged by 823.8 percent to 53,526 mt.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, Turkey’s rapid exhaustion of several steel import quotas in the first days of the EU’s new quota period indicates that market access pressure may increase further in the second half of the year, particularly for hot rolled coil exports. The 15.5 percent year-on-year decline in Turkey’s HRC exports in the January-May period already reflects weaker demand and narrowing sales opportunities in traditional EU markets such as Italy, Spain and Portugal, while the rapid filling of quotas under the new regime suggests that Turkish producers may face more limited room for shipments to the EU. Accordingly, although increases in exports to markets such as Bulgaria, Belgium, the UK and North Macedonia may partially offset losses in the short term, quota pressure on the EU side makes the need for Turkey to shift toward alternative HRC export markets more evident.
Turkey’s top 10 HRC export destinations in the January-May period:
| Country | Amount (mt) | |||||
| January-May 2026 | January-May 2025 | Y-o-y change (%) | May 2026 | May 2025 | Y-o-y change (%) | |
| Italy | 266,259 | 352,880 | -24.5 | 61,392 | 65,134 | -5.7 |
| Spain | 130,189 | 243,983 | -46.6 | 42,030 | 84,239 | -50.1 |
| Greece | 67,614 | 81,073 | -16.6 | 5,142 | 12,151 | -57.7 |
| Bulgaria | 64,704 | 17,456 | 270.7 | 30,380 | 3,184 | 854.1 |
| Belgium | 61,073 | 22,435 | 172.2 | 14,967 | 20,208 | -25.9 |
| UK | 53,526 | 5,794 | 823.8 | 23,470 | - | - |
| Macedonia | 46,730 | 19,935 | 134.4 | 16,350 | 7,955 | 105.5 |
| Egypt | 43,076 | 80,818 | -46.7 | 10,000 | 14,938 | -33.1 |
| Libya | 42,054 | 38,961 | 7.9 | 13,692 | 6,930 | 97.6 |
| Portugal | 37,374 | 112,589 | -66.8 | 10,679 | 14,154 | -24.6 |
Shares in Turkey’s hot rolled coil exports - January-May 2026
