Turkey's billet and bloom imports in January-February 2024 decreased by 28.9 percent year on year, according to preliminary data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The total imports amounted to 413,276 metric tons, with a value of $238.68 million, down 27.0 percent compared to the same period in 2023. China remained Turkey's largest billet and bloom import source, selling 322,110 metric tons to Turkey in the given period.
The EU increased imports of square billets by 5.4 percent in 2022, reaching 1.55 million tons, with Russia, Ukraine, and Türkiye as the main suppliers.
Turkish producers may find it more profitable to buy and use Russian semi-finished products due to the price ratio between scrap and square billets, given the current low square billet prices and factors affecting the supply from the Russian Federation.
The role of Ukrainian suppliers in the Turkish market has decreased significantly, with Ukraine exporting only 22.85 thousand tons of semi-finished products to Turkiye in the first half of 2023
