Why imports of stainless flat steel to Turkey have grown

Turkey imported 288,500 tonnes of stainless steel coils in the first 5 months of the year, up from the 248,000 tonnes imported in the same period of the previous year, while the value of these imports was $ 566 million, up 24% from last year due to higher steel prices around the world.

According to the latest monthly data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), East Asian suppliers continued to increase their share of the Turkish stainless steel market with competitive prices during this period.

The largest supplier of stainless steel in Turkey

In January-May, China became the largest supplier of stainless steel products to Turkey, shipping 96,000 tons to Turkey, which is 47% more than last year. If this upward trend continues, China’s stainless steel exports to Turkey could surpass 200,000 tonnes in 2021.

According to the latest data, Turkey imported 21,700 tons of stainless steel coils from Spain in a five-month period, while imports from Italy totaled 16,500 tons.

The only Posco Assan TST stainless steel cold rolling mill in Turkey, located in Izmit, Kocaeli, near Istanbul, has a production capacity of 300,000 tonnes of cold rolled stainless steel coils per year, 0.3–3.0 mm thick and up to 1600 mm wide.