According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), Turkey witnessed a significant 72 pct increase in HRC imports in May, totaling 589,174 tons. The surge in imports was primarily driven by a sharp increase in imports from China.
In May, China emerged as the leading HRC exporter to Turkey, supplying 344,116 tons. This surpassed the combined total of 247,495 tons imported from China during the first four months of 2023. Russia, which traditionally held the position of the top HRC exporter to Turkey, ranked second in May with 68,945 tons, followed by Japan with 65,968 tons.
Other notable HRC suppliers to Turkey during this period included South Korea (40,664 tons), Taiwan (22,615 tons), Venezuela (14,696 tons), and France (10,000 tons).
In the January-May 2023 period, Turkish HRC imports amounted to a total of 1.973 mln tons. China surpassed Russia as the major HRC supplier to Turkey, accounting for 591,611 tons. Russian HRC imports totaled 451,063 tons, followed by Japan with 235,222 tons.
