In August this year, Turkey's slab imports amounted to 227,584 metric tons, down by 27.8 percent compared to July and by 44.7 percent year on year, according to the preliminary data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). Meanwhile, the revenue generated by these imports totaled $125.99 million, decreasing by 26.3 percent compared to the previous month and by 34.9 percent year on year.
In the January-August period, Turkey's slab imports amounted to 1.95 million mt, down 27.3 percent, while the value of these imports decreased by 25.2 percent to $974.68 million, both year on year.
Turkey's slab imports - last 12 months
The weakness became quite pronounced in August. Import volume decreased by 44.7 percent year on year and by 27.8 percent month on month to 227,584 mt, while the value of imports fell by 34.9 percent year on year and by 26.3 percent month on month to $125.99 million. During the month, imports from Russia decreased by 56 percent to 66,569 mt, while no shipments were recorded from China or Algeria. By contrast, imports from Malaysia remained close to the level seen in the same month last year at 104,435 mt, while imports of 56,580 mt from Indonesia, from which no shipments had been recorded in August last year, stood out.
In the January-August period, Russia remained by far Turkey's largest slab supplier with 1.07 million mt, despite a 20.8 percent year-on-year decline. Imports from Malaysia decreased by 46.6 percent, while imports from Algeria fell by 54.1 percent. By contrast, imports from Vietnam increased by 99.9 percent to 100,450 mt, while imports from Indonesia rose by 75.8 percent to 81,497 mt. Turkey also imported 65,242 mt of slab from Libya, from which no shipments had been recorded in the same period last year. Overall, the data show that sharp declines from the main suppliers continued, while increases from alternative sources remained insufficient to offset the overall loss.
Turkey's slab import sources in the January-August period this year:
| Country | Amount (mt) | |||||
| January-August 2026 | January-August 2025 | Y-o-y change (%) | August 2026 | August 2025 | Y-o-y change (%) | |
| Russia | 1,074,702 | 1,356,287 | -20.8 | 66,569 | 151,213 | -56.0 |
| Malaysia | 357,559 | 669,663 | -46.6 | 104,435 | 106,085 | -1.6 |
| Algeria | 171,405 | 373,662 | -54.1 | - | 51,556 | - |
| Vietnam | 100,450 | 50,251 | 99.9 | - | - | - |
| China | 96,657 | 102,560 | -5.8 | - | 102,560 | - |
| Indonesia | 81,497 | 46,362 | 75.8 | 56,580 | - | - |
| Libya | 65,242 | - | - | - | - | - |
| UK | 5,771 | 20 | >1000.0 | - | 0 | - |
| Germany | 57 | 10 | 457.3 | - | - | - |
| Sweden | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
Shares in Turkey's slab imports - January-August 2026
