As stated by the Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TCUD), Turkey’s steel imports from China in the January-April period of this year rose by 48 percent on year-on-year basis to 989,000 mt.
In the first four months of this year, Turkey’s billet imports from China increased more than tenfold compared to 50,000 mt recorded in the same period of last year to 564,000 mt. In the first four months this year, Turkey’s flat steel imports from China decreased by 58 percent to 172,000 mt, while its long steel imports from China were up by 29 percent to 109,000 mt, both on year-on-year basis.
In the January-April period of this year, billet, flat products, long products, and pipes and tubes constituted 57 percent, 17 percent, 11 percent and 10 percent of Turkey’s total steel imports from China, respectively.
In April alone, Turkey’s steel imports from China grew by a substantial 204 percent on year-on-year basis to 310,000 mt. While there was a rise in imports of all products in the given month, the biggest rise was observed in billet imports. In April last year, Turkey did not import any billet from China, whereas in April this year it imported 152,000 mt of billets from this source.