EU finished steel import volumes up 6.62% in April

18 June 2026: EU finished steel imports from third countries increased by 6.62% year-on-year in April, as buyers accelerated purchases following the opening of new safeguard quotas and ahead of tighter trade measures due to take effect in July.

April deliveries reached 4.0 million tonnes (Mt), bringing total imports during the first four months of 2026 to 11.0 Mt. Despite the strong monthly performance, year-to-date (YTD) imports remained 6.61% lower than in the corresponding period of 2025.

Turkey and China remained the EU's largest suppliers of finished steel. Turkish shipments rose to 1.12 Mt in April, compared with 918 kt a year earlier, following the opening of new quota volumes. YTD imports from Turkey reached 2.4 Mt.

Chinese exports to the EU also increased significantly, reaching 642 kt in April, up from 482 kt in April 2025. During the first four months of the year, Chinese shipments totalled 1.5 Mt.

In contrast, Taiwan recorded the sharpest decline among major suppliers, mainly in the hot rolled and coated flat steel products. April deliveries fell to 147 kt, compared with 390 kt a year earlier, although volumes recovered from 34 kt in March 2026. During January–April 2026, Taiwanese exports to the EU declined by 50.49% year-on-year. 

As of Imports from India and Indonesia continued to increase, reaching 405 kt and 234 kt, respectively, in April. On a year-to-date basis, shipments totalled 975.2 kt from India and 578.9 kt from Indonesia.

Meanwhile, imports from South Korea remained broadly stable, reaching 392 kt in April and 1.1 Mt during the first four months of 2026.