EU finished steel imports fall by 6.85% in May

30 July 2026: EU finished steel imports from third countries declined by 6.85% in May and by 9.96% during the first five month year-on-year, following the surge in purchases seen in April once the new quota opened, to 4.10 Mt.

May deliveries totalled 1.84 million tonnes (Mt), bringing total imports during the first five months of 2026 to 12.72 Mt. 

Turkey and China remained the EU’s largest suppliers of finished steel during the first five months of the year, whilst Indonesia and Korea held the leading positions in May. Turkish shipments reached 165 kt in May, significantly lower than 434 kt in May 2025. The largest declines were recorded in hot-rolled flat products (HS 7208 down to 84kt) and coated flat products (HS 7210 down to 3kt). Despite the sharp monthly decline, Turkey remained the largest supplier, with 2.6 Mt imported during January-May 2026, slightly below 2.7 Mt in the same period a year earlier. 
 
Chinese exports to the EU remained relatively resilient despite easing from April levels. Shipments totalled 180 kt in May, compared with 214 kt in May 2025. On a YTD basis, imports from China increased to 1.7 Mt, compared with 1.6 Mt during the corresponding period of 2025.

South Korea was one of the strongest performing suppliers. Imports reached 343 kt in May, up from 193 kt in May 2025. During January-May 2026, South Korean shipments totalled 1.5 Mt, broadly unchanged from the previous year.Imports from India and Indonesia also remained above year earlier levels on a YTD basis. Indian deliveries reached 93 kt in May, compared with 119 kt a year earlier, bringing cumulative imports to 1.1 Mt, up from 991 kt during January-May 2025. Indonesian shipments totalled 240 kt in May, compared with 176 kt in May 2025, increasing YTD imports to 819 kt, compared with 571 kt a year earlier.

The weaker import performance in May came after a surge in imports recorded in April. The EU introduced revised safeguard measures covering from 1 July 2026, with EU producers sharply rising local prices in the past few months.