Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased pig iron production by 10.2% in January-November this year compared to the same period last year, reaching 7.188 million tons.
According to the Ukrmetallurgprom association, 704,300 tons of pig iron were produced in November, which is an increase compared to October.
PJSC Dnipro Metallurgical Plant (DMZ), part of DCH Steel, a group owned by businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavskyi, has completed its transition to continuous casting and has begun developing a new type of rolled product
According to information in the DCH Steel corporate newspaper, during the production campaign in November, 6,400 tons of products were manufactured in rolling mill No. 2.
It is specified that the rolling campaign lasted from November 12 to 22 without days off and was carried out in a very intense mode. Due to a decrease in orders, the shop worked on a two-shift schedule for the first time—it was necessary to manufacture a wide range of products and conduct important experiments. Constant air raid alerts and the risk of power outages complicated the work.
“It was one of the most intense campaigns in recent years. The workshop team was well prepared and successfully coped with the production tasks. They worked even faster than planned and did not allow significant overspending of energy resources,” said Yuriy Mikhailiv, Deputy General Director for Production and Technology.
According to him, during the campaign, a standard selection of channels from 14 to 30 was produced. In addition, 1,400 tons of channels were rolled according to European standards, as well as small volumes of 125 angles and SVP-22 mine props. Deliveries of billets to DMZ began two weeks before the start of production.
U100, U120, U140, and U160 channels were manufactured for the European market. Testing of rolls continued, a small batch of which the company purchased abroad in the summer. Based on the test results, the company plans to continue cooperation with the new supplier.
The shop also began mastering the production of Ø60 circles.
“The design of the 550 mill differs from those on which circles are usually manufactured. However, the experiment showed that the shop has the potential to produce this profile. We ran several blanks through the mill line and identified technical issues that need to be worked on. We will move forward step by step,” said Mikhailov.
The next production campaign in rolling shop No. 2 is planned for February.
As reported, DMZ reduced its rolled steel production by 23.1% in the first seven months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, to 26,000 tons.
In 2024, DMZ reduced rolled steel production by 59.4% compared to 2023, to 42.9 thousand tons, and coke production by 1.2%, to 289.1 thousand tons.
In 2023, DMZ increased its production of rolled metal by 86.2% compared to 2022, to 105,600 tons, and coke by 38.5%, to 292,700 tons.
In 2022, the plant reduced its production of rolled products by 74.2% compared to 2021, to 58.4 thousand tons, and coke by 56.3%, to 211.3 thousand tons.
DMZ specializes in the production of steel, cast iron, rolled products, and products made from them.
On March 1, 2018, the DCH Group signed an agreement to purchase the Dnipro Metallurgical Plant from Evraz.
According to preliminary data, Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased their total rolled steel production in January-October of this year by 0.5% compared to the same period last year, from 5.264 million tons to 5.377 million tons.
According to information from the Ukrmetallurgprom association, steel production during this period decreased by 4.9% to 6.172 million tons, but pig iron production increased by 8.4% to 6.484 million tons.
In October, 534,000 tons of rolled products, 649,000 tons of steel, and 692,000 tons of pig iron were produced, while in the previous month, 587,500 tons of rolled products, 611,000 tons of steel, and 683,200 tons of pig iron were produced.
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine increased its total rolled steel production by 15.8% compared to 2023, to 6.222 million tons from 5.372 million tons. Steel smelting during this period increased by 21.6% to 7.575 million tons, and pig iron by 18.1% to 7.090 million tons.
In 2023, Ukraine increased its total rolled steel production by 0.4% compared to 2022, to 5.372 million tons, but reduced its steel production by 0.6%, to 6.228 million tons, and its pig iron production by 6.1%, to 6.003 million tons.
In 2022, the country reduced its production of total rolled steel by 72% compared to 2021, to 5.350 million tons, steel by 70.7%, to 6.263 million tons, and pig iron by 69.8%, to 6.391 million tons.
In pre-war 2021, 21.165 million tons of pig iron (103.6% compared to 2020), 21.366 million tons of steel (103.6%), and 19.079 million tons of rolled products (103.5%) were produced.
In January-September of this year, Ukrainian enterprises increased their consumption of rolled metal products by 39.49% compared to the same period last year, to 3 million 164.5 thousand tons.
According to a press release from the Ukrmetallurgprom association, 1 million 239.5 thousand tons, or 37.17% of the domestic market for rolled metal consumption, were imported during this period.
According to Ukrmetallurgprom, in the first nine months of 2025, metal companies produced 4.843 million tons of rolled metal (100.4% compared to the same period in 2024), of which, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine, 2.918 million tons, or 60.3%, were exported. In January-September 2024, the share of exports was 68.9% (3.323 million tons with a total production of rolled metal products of 4.821 million tons).
The share of semi-finished products in export deliveries in January-September 2025 is 32.59%, which is significantly lower than in January-September 2024 (46.98%). The share of flat products in export deliveries in January-September 2025 significantly exceeds the figure for January-September 2024 (44.24% and 39.00%, respectively). The share of long products is also significantly higher than in January-September 2024 (23.17% in 2025 versus 14.02% in 2024).
The structure of imports in January-September 2025 continues to be characterized by the significant dominance of flat rolled products over long products (67.14% and 21.28%, respectively); in January-September 2024, the dominance of flat rolled products over long products was also significant (79.37% and 19.19%, respectively).
“In the first nine months of 2025, the domestic market capacity was 3,164,500 tons of rolled metal, of which 1,239,500 tons, or 39.17%, were imports. In January-September 2024, the domestic market capacity was 2,425,100 tons, of which 927,100 tons, or 38.23%, were imported. Thus, in January-September 2025, there was a 39.49% increase in the capacity of the domestic market compared to January-September 2024, with a simultaneous increase in the share of imports by 0.94%,” the press release states.
According to the State Customs Service, the main export markets for Ukrainian rolled metal products in the first nine months of this year were the European Union (79.9%), other European countries (8.9%), and the CIS (6.2%).
Among metallurgical importers in January-September 2025, other European countries ranked first (50.3%), followed by the EU-27 (22.5%) and Asian countries (20.7%).
As reported, Ukraine’s rolled metal market in 2024 shrank by 6.26% compared to the previous year, to 3 million 288.4 thousand tons, while in 2023 it increased 2.19 times compared to 2022, to 3 million 505.6 thousand tons.
The mining and metallurgical group Metinvest plans to invest $293 million in its assets this year, while last year the total amount of investments, including joint ventures, amounted to $251 million, about 90% of which went to the development of Ukrainian enterprises. According to dsnews.ua’s article “Top 10 Successful Investor Companies in Ukraine,” Metinvest entered the top ten leading investors in Ukraine: $90 million in the first half of 2025. These investments were directed mainly at supporting technologies, maintaining production volumes, and ensuring labor safety.
As before, the funds are concentrated on critical areas: the mining segment, to ensure the production cycle, and the energy sector, to minimize blackout risks.
Despite the proximity of the front line, Metinvest continues large-scale repair and modernization works at its enterprises. In the first half of 2025, investments in repairs and equipment amounted to $28.8 million at Kametstal, $6.4 million at Zaporizhstal, $19 million at Northern GOK, and $3 million at Central GOK. The group focuses particularly on Kametstal and the mining and beneficiation plants.
At Kametstal, the first overhaul of Blast Furnace No. 9 since the start of the full-scale invasion was completed for $16 million, and equipment of one of the converters was restored. At Southern GOK, a new vacuum pump production station No. 4 is being built with a planned capacity of over 100,000 tons of concentrate per month.
A priority is the construction of a tailings thickening plant at Northern GOK. The relevant equipment will be purchased from the Finnish industrial manufacturer Metso Finland, for which Metinvest opened a credit line of EUR 23.6 million at Deutsche Bank.
The group is taking up the challenge of “greening” production processes, particularly within the EU’s environmental policy framework. From 2026, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) should come into full effect, obliging importers to buy certificates compensating for emissions contained in goods imported to the EU. The EU may postpone CBAM for Ukraine due to the war.
At Northern GOK, one of the LURGI 552 roasting machines is being redesigned to produce improved pellets that meet EU green metallurgy requirements. Capital investments at Kametstal also support the green transition. Overall, the group estimates the green modernization of its assets at about $8 billion.
The group pays special attention to energy security. Between 2022 and 2024, it spent UAH 159.4 million on 242 diesel generators with a total capacity of 22.9 MW. Another UAH 240 million was allocated to modernize and maintain steam generation with a nominal capacity of 89 MW. At Kametstal, maneuverable gas generation has started in pilot mode.
Metinvest has major plans for developing its own generation: gas piston generators at Northern, Central GOKs and Kametstal (29 MW, $26 million), as well as solar power plants at Central GOK (23.8 MW) and Kametstal (13.3 MW) worth $18.1 million in 2025–2026.
Another important direction is investment in artificial intelligence technologies. Metinvest Digital, the group’s IT company, is responsible for R&D. Its solutions are quickly implemented in production. The AI tool ForgeCheck helps control product quality at Zaporizhstal by detecting slab defects, reducing complaints and saving electricity.
Another system, the SPAIS platform, integrates into industrial video surveillance to monitor safety compliance, helping reduce workplace violations.
According to Metinvest B.V.’s report, in the first half of 2025, capital investments decreased by 28% to $91 million compared to $127 million a year earlier. $52 million was invested in metallurgy and $38 million in mining. 79% of expenses went to maintenance (90% in the first half of 2024), the rest to strategic projects.
In 2024, capital investments decreased by 17% to $235 million from $284 million in 2023. $81 million was invested in metallurgy and $146 million in mining.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical companies. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine — in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions — as well as in European countries. The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart-Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it. Metinvest Holding LLC is the group’s management company.
According to preliminary data, Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased their total rolled steel production in January-September this year by 0.5% compared to the same period last year, from 4.821 million tons to 4.843 million tons.
According to information from the Ukrmetallurgprom association, steel smelting during this period decreased by 6.1% to 5.523 million tons, but pig iron production increased by 8.1% to 5.792 million tons.
In September, 587,000 tons of rolled products, 611,000 tons of steel, and 683,000 tons of pig iron were produced, while in the previous month, 633,200 tons of rolled products, 649,400 tons of steel, and 747,500 tons of pig iron were produced.
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine increased its total rolled steel production by 15.8% compared to 2023, to 6.222 million tons from 5.372 million tons. Steel production during this period increased by 21.6% to 7.575 million tons, and pig iron production increased by 18.1% to 7.090 million tons.
In 2023, Ukraine increased its total rolled steel production by 0.4% compared to 2022, to 5.372 million tons, but reduced its steel production by 0.6%, to 6.228 million tons, and its pig iron production by 6.1%, to 6.003 million tons.
In 2022, the country reduced its production of total rolled steel by 72% compared to 2021, to 5.350 million tons, steel by 70.7%, to 6.263 million tons, and pig iron by 69.8%, to 6.391 million tons.
In pre-war 2021, 21.165 million tons of pig iron (103.6% compared to 2020), 21.366 million tons of steel (103.6%), and 19.079 million tons of rolled steel (103.5%) were produced.
