Scrap imports increased in the first half of the year

Strong demand for finished steel, production activity and increase in crude steel production in Turkey have resulted in increased scrap imports to the country.

However, scrap imports remained stable at 1.96 million tons in June 2021 compared to the previous month.

The USA maintained its leadership in scrap exports to Turkey with an export volume of 1.8 million tons in the first half of 2021. These are followed by the Netherlands with 1.7 million tons and England with 1.4 million tons, respectively. The USA and the Netherlands increased tonnage and topped the list of sellers. Growth in US exports was supported by positive outlooks in the overseas steel market and manufacturing sector, which allowed the country's steelmakers to achieve strong sales growth.

Import scrap and reserve volumes are expected to decrease due to the weak demand for finished steel in domestic and international markets due to imbalances between supply and demand.