Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased the import of coke and semi-coke (UKTZED – 2704) by 39.9% in January-May 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 – up to 297.7 thousand tons. This is evidenced by calculations of GMK Center based on the State Customs Service data.
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In May, imports of coke amounted to 41.12 thousand tons, which is 7.1% less compared to the previous month, and 27.2% less than in May 2024. In April – 44.26 thousand tons, March – 56.44 thousand tons, February – 63.43 thousand tons, January – 92.5 thousand tons. Thus, there is a slowdown in raw material supplies since the beginning of the year, while the average monthly indicator is still higher than in 2024 – 59.5 thousand tons compared to 42.5 thousand tons.
The main part of the supplies for the five months comes from Polish production – 265.95 thousand tons. Another 27.7 thousand tons of coke were imported from Indonesia, and 4.1 thousand tons from the Czech Republic. In May, supplies from Poland decreased by 9.4% m/m, while from the Czech Republic they amounted to 1.03 thousand tons (not imported in April), and Indonesia did not supply coke to the Ukrainian market.
Expenses for raw material imports from January to May increased by 25.9% y/y – to $97.23 million, and in May they decreased by 3.9% m/m and by 32.2% y/y, to $14.31 million.
It should be noted that during the period of 2013-2024, the extraction of coking coal in Ukraine decreased by 74%, and coke production by almost 85%. Currently, a large part of mines and coking plants remain in uncontrolled territories – 64% of the total list.
According to GMK Center estimates, to maintain production levels at the current level, namely production of up to 6.5 million tons of converter and Martin steel and 1.3 million tons of merchant pig iron, Ukraine needs 3.2 million tons of coke per year, of which up to 20% was imported in 2024. In 2025, import volumes are likely to increase due to the shutdown of the Pokrovsk Coal Group.
In early April, the first ship with coking coal from the USA arrived in Ukraine in 2025, chartered by Metinvest Group. The bulk carrier delivered 80 thousand tons of raw materials from the United Coal Company, part of the group. Metinvest plans to make similar import shipments monthly.
It is worth noting that in 2024, Ukraine imported 661.49 thousand tons of coke and semi-coke, which is twice the figure for 2023. A significant increase in supplies falls on the second half of the year. Import costs for the year increased by 81.9% y/y – to $235.47 million.