Steel industry in Russia - statistics & facts
Steel consumption in Russia
Domestically, steel is mostly used in construction (e.g., for metal beams and pipes) and manufacturing (e.g., defense industry, vehicle, electronics, and food production). Russia's apparent steel use reached over 44 million metric tons of finished steel products in 2023, having exceeded the pre-pandemic level. The per capita apparent steel consumption was over 309 kilograms of finished steel products, up seven percent from the previous year. Besides producing its own steel, Russia imports various products and is particularly dependent on stainless-steel imports.Steel export trade in Russia
Russia is the seventh-leading exporting market of steel worldwide. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union (EU) banned imports of certain iron and steel products from Russia. In the first three months of 2024, imports from Russia accounted for nearly eight percent of the EU's total import value from outside the organization.Over the course of 2023, the total value of iron and steel exports from the country reached approximately 15 billion U.S. dollars, having significantly decreased from the previous year. Semifinished products remained the primary export commodity among steel mill goods, with an export value of nearly 5.5 billion U.S. dollars. Flat products also contributed to the export mix, with a value of approximately one billion U.S. dollars. Turkey and Kazakhstan were the leading destination markets by exports in monetary terms.
One of the largest producers of steel worldwide, Russia is challenged by the Western sanctions and subsequent decreasing exports.