Russia’s stainless steel imports rose by 13pc to 205,737mt in H1 2021 compared to 182,705mt during the same period last year according to the country’s Customs data.
The country imported 1.1 times more stainless steel in June at 51,753mt against 24,353mt during the same month in 2020 and 36pc more from 37,962mt in May 2021.
China was the leading exporter, with volumes soaring 200pc to 26,084mt in June 2021 compared with 8,705mt in the same year-ago month. Slovenia was in second place, with 20 times more cargo into Russia at 11,480mt from 538mt during the same timeframe.