In January-July of this year, Ukraine increased its exports of processed pig iron in physical terms by 55% compared to the same period last year, to 1 million 38.757 thousand tons from 669.982 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, during the period in question, exports of pig iron in monetary terms increased by 62% to $411.316 million.
Exports were mainly to the US (80.18% of shipments in monetary terms), Italy (10.16%), and Turkey (4.17%).
In the first seven months of the year, the country imported 29,000 tons worth $55,000 from Brazil (68.52%) and Germany (31.48%), while in January-July 2024, 15 tons of pig iron worth $35,000 were imported.
As reported, on March 12 of this year, in accordance with a decision by President Donald Trump, the US began imposing a 25% tariff on imports of Ukrainian steel products, except for pig iron.
In 2024, Ukraine reduced exports of processed pig iron in physical terms by 3.4% compared to 2023, to 1 million 290.622 thousand tons, and in monetary terms by 6.1%, to $500.341 million. Exports were mainly to the US (72.64% of shipments in monetary terms), Turkey (8.03%), and Italy (7.30%).
In 2024, the country imported 38 tons of pig iron worth $90 thousand from Germany, while in the same period of 2023, it imported 154 tons of pig iron worth $156 thousand.
In January-July 2025, Ukrainian metallurgists increased pig iron production by 6.7% compared to the same period in 2024, to 4.361 million tons, according to the Ukrmetallurgprom association.
In July, 621,100 tons of pig iron were smelted, which is lower than the June figure of 661,900 tons.
For comparison, at the end of 2024, pig iron production increased by 18.1% to 7.090 million tons.
In 2023, this figure decreased by 6.1% to 6.003 million tons.
Peak pre-war pig iron production in Ukraine in 2021 was 21.165 million tons.
The US continues to occupy a leading position among buyers of Ukrainian recycled pig iron: in the first half of 2025, the US market accounted for more than 77% of foreign exchange earnings from exports of this product.
According to data from the State Customs Service, Ukraine increased its pig iron exports by 47.5% in volume terms in January–June, to 883,200 tons, compared with 598,900 tons in the same period of 2024. In monetary terms, exports grew by 54.6% to $349.4 million.
The main destinations for exports in the first half of the year were:
The US — 77.36% of export revenue;
Italy — 11.96%;
Turkey — 4.91%.
Earlier, on March 12, 2025, the administration of US President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Ukrainian metal products, with the exception of cast iron. This allowed Ukrainian exporters to maintain their competitive position in the US market and, as statistics show, increase supplies.
At the end of 2024, Ukraine exported 1.29 million tons of processed cast iron worth $500.3 million, of which 72.6% went to the US. Thus, in 2025, the US not only retained its status as a key trading partner in this segment, but also strengthened its importance for the Ukrainian metallurgical sector.
Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased pig iron production by 5.8% in January–June 2025 compared to the same period last year, to 3.669 million tons, according to Ukrmetallurgprom.
In June, 661,900 tons of pig iron were smelted, which is more than in May (644,700 tons).
In 2024, pig iron production in Ukraine grew by 18.1% to 7.090 million tons, after falling in 2023 to 6.003 million tons and a disastrous 2022, when production fell by almost 70%.
In January-May this year, Ukraine increased exports of processed pig iron in physical terms by 45.2% compared to the same period last year, up to 736,418 thousand tons from 507,106 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Friday, pig iron exports in monetary terms increased by 53.2% to $290.546 million during the period under review.
At the same time, exports were carried out mainly to the United States (79.11% of supplies in monetary terms), Italy (10.23%) and Turkey (5.90%).
In the first 5 months of the year, the country imported 29 thousand tons worth $55 thousand from Brazil (68.52%) and Germany (31.48%), while in January-May 2024, 15 tons of pig iron were imported for $35 thousand.
As reported, on March 12 this year, the United States began levying a 25% duty on imports of Ukrainian steel products, except for pig iron, in accordance with President Donald Trump’s decision.
In 2024, Ukraine reduced exports of processed pig iron by 3.4% in physical terms compared to 2023, to 1 million 290.622 thousand tons, and by 6.1% in monetary terms, to $500.341 million. Exports were mainly to the United States (72.64% of supplies in monetary terms), Turkey (8.03%) and Italy (7.30%).
In 2024, the country imported 38 tons of pig iron worth $90 thousand from Germany, while in the same period of 2023 it imported 154 tons of pig iron worth $156 thousand.
According to the results of 2024, Ukraine produced 7.1 million tons of pig iron, of which 1.3 million tons were exported. Apparent consumption of pig iron increased to 5.8 million tons, which is 21% more than in 2023 (4.8 million tons).
Ukraine rose to 10th place in the global ranking of net pig iron exporters with 3.4 million tons, while in 2023 it ranked 12th with 2.2 million tons.
Despite the positive dynamics in pig iron production and exports, Ukraine remains outside the top 20 steel exporters, a status it lost after 2021, when it exported 15.7 million tons of metal products and ranked 10th in the world.
