9 March 2023

Steel output in February was the biggest monthly figure since the beginning of full-scale russian invasion.

Basing on preliminary information of Ukrmetallurgpom association Ukrainian companies increased steel output vs. January by 140k tons – from 284k tons up to 424k tons.

We note that after disaster in December (when due to electricity blackouts Ukrainian steel output reached historical monthly low of 106k tons) Ukrainian production has been gradually recovering.

Of course Ukraine is very far from pre- full scale war steel production levels. Occupation of Mariupol (its two mills accounted form 40% of pre-was utput) and blockade of Ukrainian ports led to decrease of output in February y-o-y by 69%.

As for pig iron production, in February it made 500k tons vs. 240k tons in January and 247k tons in December.

As a reminder, in 2022, Ukrainian enterprises produced 6.4 million tons of pig iron and 6.26 million tons of steel (more than half - 3.2 million tons - was produced in the first two months of the year).

At the moment main Ukrainian steel and pig iron producers are Arcelor Mittal Kryviy Rig, Kametsteel (former DMK), Zaporizhsteel and Interpipe-Steel.