Ukraine exported 17,000 tonnes of flat steel in September 2026, a decline of 91% from a year earlier and 73% from August, according to GMK Center’s calculations using State Customs Service data. Export revenue for the month totalled $14 million, down 87% year on year and 69% month on month.
Hot-rolled flat steel shipments suffered the steepest annual contraction among the three product groups reported, falling 95% to 9,000 tonnes. They were also 80% below August levels. Cold-rolled flat steel exports reached 3,000 tonnes, down 89% year on year and 80% month on month. Coated flat steel shipments were more resilient at 6,000 tonnes, although volumes still declined by 18% annually and 8% from the previous month.
Across January–September, Ukraine’s flat steel exports amounted to 988,000 tonnes, 23% below the corresponding period of 2025, GMK Center reported. Revenue declined less sharply than shipment volumes, falling 14% to $627 million. Hot-rolled products under HS code 7208 accounted for almost 80% of nine-month exports, with volumes down 28% to 775,000 tonnes. Poland took 347,000 tonnes, followed by Bulgaria with 128,000 tonnes and Romania with 84,000 tonnes.
Cold-rolled flat steel under HS code 7209 represented more than 15% of shipments during the nine months. Exports fell 11% to 152,000 tonnes, including 83,000 tonnes delivered to Poland, 23,000 tonnes to Bulgaria and 12,000 tonnes to Egypt. Coated flat-rolled products under HS code 7210 moved in the opposite direction over the period: exports increased 9% to 57,000 tonnes. Poland received 47,000 tonnes and Romania 5,000 tonnes.
The nine-month downturn contrasts with growth in Ukraine’s flat steel exports in 2025. According to GMK Center, full-year shipments rose 11.2% from 2024 to 1.82 million tonnes, while revenue increased 3.9% to $1.05 billion. Hot-rolled flat steel accounted for more than 82% of that annual volume, reaching 1.51 million tonnes after a 10.5% increase.