EU finished steel imports fall by 18.7% in February

9 April 2026: In February 2026, EU finished steel imports from non-EU countries dropped by 18.7% year-on-year to 1.3 million tonnes (mln t), amid tighter import regulations to protect domestic producers and advance green goals. Year-to-date figures declined by 18.2% to 4.84 mln t.

Turkey shipped just 103 thousand tonnes (kt) in February, compared to 239 kt during the same month last year, while during the first two months, imports totalled 1.12 mln t, an increase of 12.9%. Ukraine became the leading supplier, despite deliveries declining from 191 kt to 160 kt over the same period. During January-February, shipments from Ukraine plummeted by 16% to 318 kt.

Imports from Asian suppliers substantially decreased in February, reaching 144 kt from Korea, 139 kt from China, 90 kt from Indonesia and 72 kt from India. Taiwan more than doubled finished steel exports to the European Union, to 61 kt. However, during first two months India increased shipments by 11.4%, to 518 kt, while deliveries from other Asian markets fell.