China, Korea and Turkey boost finished steel exports in April

5 June 2025: Global exporters of finished steel products continued to pursue international sales due to insufficient domestic demand. 

China, South Korea and Turkey recorded steep increases in April shipments, while Japanese suppliers failed to spark interest from overseas markets. Thus, Japanese producers faced a decline of 6.4% in their production rates during the same period. 

In the meantime, preliminary data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that steel exports fell by 5.4%, while domestic output increased by 1.9%, driven by the recent introduction of trade restrictions along with increased demand from the end use sectors.

The sharpest declines in steel shipments from Vietnam were recorded to countries in Europe and North America amid tighter trade measures. In contrast, Korea found demand for finished steel products in Brazil, Turkey and some regional countries. Chinese suppliers increased exports to customers in the ASEAN, MENA and South American markets in April. Turkey remained focused on Europe, but a sizable volume of 50kt was recorded shipped to Chile as well.