Vietnam and Libya gain ground as Turkey’s slab imports decline in January-May 2026

In May this year, Turkey’s slab imports amounted to 370,090 metric tons, up by 31.8 percent compared to April and down by 7.3 percent year on year, according to the preliminary data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). Meanwhile, the revenue generated by these imports totaled $180.22 million, increasing by 35.6 percent compared to the previous month and decreasing by 9.8 percent year on year.

In the January-May period, Turkey's slab imports amounted to 1.27 million mt, down 22.3 percent, while the value of these imports decreased by 25.3 percent to $600.28 million, both year on year.

Turkey’s slab imports - last 12 months

In the January-May period of 2025, Russia, Malaysia, Algeria, Vietnam and India stood out among Turkey’s main slab import sources, while the top three positions remained unchanged in the same period of 2026, although purchases from these main suppliers weakened significantly. Russia remained by far the largest supplier despite a 23.7 percent year-on-year decrease to 698,059 mt, while imports from Malaysia fell by 50 percent to 204,344 mt and imports from Algeria declined by 23.3 percent to 169,224 mt. By contrast, imports from Vietnam increased by 99.9 percent to 100,450 mt, while Libya, from which no imports were recorded in the same period last year, entered the list with 65,242 mt. The absence of imports from India this year was also notable. Overall, the 22.3 percent year-on-year decline in Turkey’s total slab import tonnage was mainly caused by the decrease in purchases from key suppliers, while increases from sources such as Vietnam and Libya remained limited in offsetting this decline.

Turkey’s top 10 slab import sources in the January-May period:

Shares in Turkey’s slab imports - January-May 2026