Ukrainian steel imports increase in January by 32% MoM

According to the data, released by metal trading enterprise Ukrainian Mining and Metallurgical Company, in the first month of 2010 Ukraine imports of steel products amounted to 80,600 tons, indicating an increase of 32.3% MoM and a rise of more than five times YoY.

Accordingly, in January 2010 the biggest share in overall steel imports to Ukraine was held by HRC 33.1% followed by tubular billet 23.9%, rounds 11.5% and galvanized steel 10.5%.
UGMK considers that the sharp increase of HRC imports in January was due to active acquisition of HRC by pipe-making and wagon building companies, the deliveries to which accounted for almost 88% of total HRC imports. The main suppliers of HRC to Ukraine were the Russian steel producers MMK and Severstal which supplied 84.7% and 10.2% respectively of the total HRC imports to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, rebar accounted for a 2.6% share of Ukraine total volume of steel imports in January. Rebar imports decreased by 65.8% compared to December 2009, due to the decrease in construction activity during the winter period, as well as due to the parity of domestic and import prices. About two-thirds of all imported rebar were supplied by Russian steelmaker Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant, a subsidiary of Russian mining and steel producing group Mechel.

In January 2010, imports of steel products in Ukraine were as follows:

Product	January 2009, t	January 2010, t	Change, %
Rebar	6,027	2,060	-65.8
Beam	109	542	395.3
Wire rod	336	1,743	419.4
Rounds	1,640	9,276	465.5
HRC	1,207	26,711	2113.8
Galvanized steel	1,185	8,468	614.6
CRC	2,051	4,577	123.2
Pipes	1,931	3,148	63.1
Angle	179	43	-75.9
Channel	8	76	885.8
Tubular billet	1,321	19,291	1360.6
Other	32	4,708	14531.2
Total	16,026	80,644	403.2

In January 2010, Ukraine’s main importer of steel was the pipe sector, which increased its share of overall steel imports into the country to 44.3% from 40% for the whole of 2009, while the machine-building sector saw its share of overall imports rising to 20.8%, compared to 17.2% in 2009. Meanwhile, the local metal trade sector saw an increase in its share of steel imports to 14.6% up from 0.6% in 2009, which might indicate the activation of direct contracts between producers and end consumers. (SteelOrbis)