Rolled steel imports increase by 93% in 8 months

According to the data released by metal trading enterprise Ukrainian Mining and Metallurgical Company, in the first eight months of 2010 Ukraine's imports of rolled steel products increased by 93.2% YoY amounting to 892,805 tons.

In August Ukraine's imports of rolled steel products saw a 14.4% increase compared to July and a 97.9% increase compared to August 2009. In January-August 2010, imports of steel products in Ukraine were as follows:

Product	January-August 2009, t	January-August 2010, t	Change, %
Rebar	44,925	22,188	-50.6
Beam	5,513	7,499	36
Wire rod	3,633	8,951	146.4
Round bar	42,920	83,437	94.4
HR sheet/coil	72,988	185,080	153.6
Galvanized steel	61,872	107,493	73.7
CR sheet	47,431	73,610	55.2
Round billet	144,357	308,254	113.5
Pipe	26,151	28,675	9.7
Angle	2,470	4,772	93.2
Channel	1,931	5,842	202.6
Other	7,840	57,002	627
Total	462,030	892,805	93.2

In January-August one third of overall rolled steel imports to Ukraine was accounted for by round billets, the share of which increased from 31.2% in the same period last year to 34.5%. In addition, during the period in question the share of HR sheet/coils went up from 15.8% to 20.7%. UGMK noted that rebar imports almost halved, with their share in overall rolled steel imports declining from 9.7% to 2.5% while there were year on year decreases in the shares of CR sheet/coils and pipes in Ukraine's total volume of steel imports, dropping from 10.3% to 8.2% and from 5.7% to 3.2% respectively.
As in previous months, the main suppliers of round billets to Ukraine in August were Russia's Oskol Metallurgical Plant, a subsidiary of Metalloinvest, and Byelorussian Iron and Steel Works, the shares of which amounted to 63.7% and 23.1% of total supplies respectively. About 92.3% of total imports of round billets were supplied to Interpipe's pipe making subsidiaries.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's main suppliers of HR sheet/coils in August were Russian steelmakers Severstal and Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, the respective shares of which amounted to 44.2% and 41.7% of total deliveries.
In August Ukraine's main importers of rolled steel products were the pipe sector, the share of which amounted to 40.9% of overall steel imports into the country, and the local metal traders, with their share of overall imports amounting to 19.2%. Meanwhile, the machine-building sector's share of steel imports amounted to 17.5%. (SteelOrbis)

Much more about metal of Ukraine, Russia and other CIS-countries at http://metalukraine2010.blogspot.com/