10 June 2023

Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises maintain positive dynamics of iron production, steel output has stabilized.

According to the preliminary information of the Ukrmetalurgprom association, in May, Ukrainian steel mills produced 583,000 tons of steel, which is almost equal to the figure of the previous month and 89% more than in May last year.

Pig iron production continues to grow - in May it amounted to 603,000 tons (in April - 544,000 tons, in March - 465,000 tons).

In the first five months of 2023, Ukrainian mills produced 2.35 million tons of pig iron (-44% compared to last year, due to the high level of production before the full-scale invasion - in January and February 2022), as well as 2.4 million tons of steel (-44% ).

After the loss of the metallurgical plants in Mariupol (which produced approximately 40% of Ukrainian steel production in the years before the full-scale Russian invasion), the main producers are Kametstal (formerly DMK, part of the Metinvest group), Zaporizhstal (also controlled by Metinvest) and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.

After the recent explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP, AMKR announced the suspension of steel production at the plant, which will have a negative impact on production figures in June.

On the positive side, after the decrease in global steel prices during March-April, prices stabilized in May and early June. This will allow Ukrainian companies to continue exporting their products through Ukraine's western borders, which from a logistical point of view is significantly more expensive than exporting through ports that remain blocked for metallurgical production.