According to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), in January this year Turkey's total hot rolled coil (HRC) exports amounted to 114,083 metric tons, up 2.8 percent compared to the previous month and more than triple compared to January 2012. January witnessed the sixth consecutive month of month-on-month upward movement in Turkey's hot rolled coil exports, reaching the highest level recorded since July 2011.
In 2012, Turkey's hot rolled coil exports had amounted to 719,037 mt, falling by 49.5 percent from 2011 level, which constituted an all-time annual record for Turkey's hot rolled coil exports.
Turkish HRC exports to the European Union in January fell slightly by 0.9 percent compared to the previous month, following three consecutive months of increase, amounting to 82,556 mt. On the other hand, as can be seen in the chart below, Turkey's second largest export destination for hot rolled coil in January was the US, which imported from 19,248 mt of hot rolled coil, following four years of almost no exports recorded after the high levels observed in the second half of 2008.
Meanwhile, in January of the current year Turkey's hot rolled plate exports last year totaled 6,690 mt, decreasing by 52.4 percent, while its hot rolled sheet exports fell 17.1 percent to 10,751 mt, both month on month. On year-on-year basis, in January the country's hot rolled plate exports fell by 64 percent, while its hot rolled sheet exports rose by 12.3 percent.