Press Release April 2025

STEEL PRODUCTION

In April 2025, Turkey's crude steel production increased by 7% compared to the same month last year, reaching 3 million tons. In the January-April period, production decreased by 1%, amounting to 12.3 million tons.

STEEL CONSUMPTION

Final product consumption in April 2025 decreased by 2.9% compared to the same month in 2024, falling to 3 million tons. In the first four months of the year, final product consumption decreased by 6.3%, dropping to 12 million tons.

FOREIGN TRADE

Export

In April 2025, steel product exports increased by 14.4% in quantity, reaching 1.2 million tons, and by 6% in value, reaching 813.1 million dollars compared to the same month in 2024. In the January-April period, steel product exports increased by 17.3% in quantity, reaching 5 million tons, and by 7.6% in value, reaching 3.4 billion dollars compared to the same period in 2024.

Import

In April 2025, steel product imports decreased by 9.1% in quantity, reaching 1.4 million tons, and by 13% in value, reaching 1 billion dollars compared to the same month in 2024. In the January-April period, steel product imports increased by 0.9% in quantity, reaching 5.6 million tons, and decreased by 6.6% in value, reaching 4 billion dollars compared to the same period in 2024.

Foreign Trade Balance

In the January-April period of 2024, the export-to-import ratio was 72.4%, which increased to 83.4% in the same period of 2025.

WORLD STEEL PRODUCTION

According to the April 2025 data announced by the World Steel Association (worldsteel), world crude steel production decreased by 0.3% compared to the same month last year, reaching 155.7 million tons, and in the January-April period, it decreased by 0.4% compared to the previous period, reaching 624.4 million tons.

In April 2025, China's crude steel production remained at the same level compared to April of the previous year. In the January-April period, China's crude steel production increased by 0.4% compared to the same period last year, reaching 345.3 million tons. India's crude steel production, ranked second, increased by 6.9%, reaching 53.2 million tons, while Japan's production decreased by 5.3%, falling to 27 million tons.

EVALUATION

With Turkey's crude steel production increasing by 7% in April to 3 million tons, production in the January-April period remained stable compared to the previous year, amounting to 12.3 million tons. In addition to the increase in production, Turkey strengthened its position at 7th place, influenced by Germany's production decreasing by 10% in April.

Following a 23% decrease in total final product consumption observed in March and a 13% increase in long product consumption, the rate of decrease in April consumption slowed down. In the January-April period, billet imports increased by 10.6%, and our country, one of the world's largest long product exporters, imported long products with a 14.6% increase. Despite a 17% increase in exports during the period, the steel foreign trade deficit remained at a high level of 600 thousand tons, partially reduced by only a 0.9% increase in imports.

On the other hand, according to the data shared in the latest OECD "Steel Outlook" report, the global steel capacity surplus exceeded 600 million tons in 2024, with the increase in steel production capacity surpassing the increase in demand. The possibility of this figure increasing in the coming years and the extraordinary increase in exports from Far Eastern countries, primarily China, to our country with dumped products caused concern.

In addition to leading to dumped exports, the capacity surplus also negatively impacts global green transformation efforts by reducing companies' profitability. Another challenging factor in the transformation is the global initiatives to limit scrap exports. While the EU's scrap consumption has increased in recent years, its reduction in exports has led to a 20% decrease in our scrap imports from Europe over the past 5 years.

To ensure the sustainability of the Turkish steel industry, creating alternative input opportunities to scrap, limiting the increasing dumped imports from Far Eastern countries, and structuring the Inward Processing Regime to prioritize domestic supply is important for increasing the contribution of our steel sector to reducing the current account deficit.