Turkish companies exported 2.37mn mt of hot-rolled coil (HRC) in the first 10 months of 2020 compared with 2.74mn mt in January-October 2019 amid a challenging market and trade tensions.
According to statistical source SteelData, HRC shipments from Turkey to Italy declined by 9pc to 789,000mt in January-October 2020, and dropped more significantly to Spain by 40.3pc to 304,000mt, while shipments of flat product to Bulgaria increased by 38pc to 152,000mt.
Export of HRC from Turkey to Egypt and Iraq rose by 71.6pc and 98.1pc to 322,000mt and 95,000mt, respectively.
Turkey supplied 92,000mt of HRC to China during the period under review compared with 37mt in prior year. Some Turkish mills sold their first ever cargoes to China this year, but it did not help to prevent total export from decreasing.
Turkey’s HRC shipments to the EU-28 dropped by 28.2pc to 1.51mn mt in January-October 2020, according to SteelData, while shipments to the North Africa and Asia rose by 49pc and 42pc to 401,000mt and 93,000mt, respectively.