Ukrainian mills increased procurement of ferrous scrap in 2024, according to the Ukrainian association of secondary metals, UAVtormet.

Purchases were 37% higher year-on-year at 1.7 million tonnes, Kallanish notes. Domestic supply of scrap to Ukrainian enterprises increased 30% on-year to 1.34mt.

Ukrainian exports of scrap last year amounted to 293,200t, up 60.7% more on-year, which is a record high since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, the association claims. “By the end of 2025, this figure could reach 350,000t, reflecting further growth of almost 20%,” it adds.

In 2021, Ukraine’s parliament increased the duty on exports of ferrous scrap to €180/tonne ($194). However, the duty is minimal for shipments to the EU.

Useable scrap reserves at Ukrainian steel mills are estimated at about 50,000t. The association expects scrap consumption to decrease to 1.1-1.2mt this year amid forecasts for a decrease in steel production.

UAVtormet expects that in 2025 the volume of steel production will fall to 6.5-6.8mt. Ukraine saw steel output in 2024 increase 21.6% on-year to 7.58mt.

“We can expect that in 2025, the problems we had last year will only deepen,” notes association head Volodymyr Bubley. “This is due to limits on the industry’s activities, including martial law and mobilisation, weak domestic demand, limited export opportunities, and more.”

"In the coming years, Ukraine will need more and more accessible scrap to produce steel with lower CO2 emissions,” notes GMK Center chief executive Stanislav Zinchenko. “This includes increasing the share of scrap in blast furnace steel production and using scrap in modern EAF-DRI furnaces, which will replace blast furnace production in the EU and in the world. Scrap availability at the national level plays an increasingly important role in the competitiveness of the steel industry in the EU as a whole and in each European country (Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Poland and others) producing steel in particular.”