According to GMK Center estimates based on State Customs Service data, Ukrainian steel mills reduced coke and semicoke imports by 2.1% year-on-year to 251.32 thousand tons in January–April 2026. At the same time, spending on these raw materials rose by 5.7% YoY, reaching $87.65 million. This indicates persistent price pressure on the pig iron and steel production chain. For the industry, this is a key indicator of current raw material self-sufficiency amid structural deficits in domestic capacity.
Supply Structure and Import Dynamics
Almost the entire volume imported over the four months came from Poland, totaling 246.19 thousand tons—a 9% increase compared to the same period last year. Another 3.06 thousand tons came from the Czech Republic, slightly down from last year. This concentration of supply indicates a high reliance of Ukrainian steelmakers on a single key foreign source, raising sensitivity to price and logistics shifts.
In April 2026, coke imports rose by 35.3% year-on-year but dropped by 12.3% compared to March, totaling 59.9 thousand tons. The cost of April purchases amounted to $20.67 million, up 38.8% YoY but down 14.7% MoM. Thus, the market shows mixed dynamics: despite short-term monthly volume corrections, the import component remains costly for manufacturers on an annual basis.
The long-term context also remains challenging. Between 2013 and 2024, coking coal mining in Ukraine fell by 74%, while coke production declined by nearly 85%. A significant portion of mines and coke-chemical assets remains in temporarily occupied territories, limiting the potential for rapid recovery of the domestic raw material base.
Impact on the Steel Market and Solutions from winox.ua
To maintain current production levels—estimated at approximately 6.5 million tons of steel via basic oxygen furnace and open-hearth methods, and 1.3 million tons of merchant pig iron—Ukraine requires about 3.2 million tons of coke annually. According to GMK Center, up to 20% of this demand was met by imports as of 2024. Consequently, any fluctuations in coke supplies directly impact metal production costs, smelting schedules, and pricing policies in the industrial market.
For metal consumers in Ukraine, such indicators are vital not only for metallurgical statistics but also for procurement planning. When manufacturers' raw material costs rise, businesses need predictable metal supply channels and transparent partnership terms. In this context, winox.ua helps clients maintain purchasing stability by ensuring reliable supplies of rolled metal, stainless steel, and non-ferrous metals for manufacturing and infrastructure projects.
The market situation also underscores the importance of diversifying raw material sources. In early April 2025, the first vessel carrying coking coal from the US arrived in Ukraine, chartered by Metinvest Group, with a cargo of 80 thousand tons from United Coal Company. While such shipments show that the industry is actively seeking new logistics solutions, reliance on imported raw materials will remain a key risk factor for steelmaking.
What This Means for Industrial Consumers
The current reduction in coke imports does not automatically ease market pressure. On the contrary, the increase in total procurement costs indicates that pricing pressure in the metallurgical chain persists, which may affect commercial terms in the steel, pig iron, and finished rolled metal segments. For industrial companies, this is a clear sign to plan material requirements more actively and build inventories to hedge against market volatility.
As a reminder, Ukraine imported 700.65 thousand tons of coke and semicoke in 2025, up 5.9% compared to the previous year. Poland remained the primary supplier, while smaller shipments arrived from Indonesia and the Czech Republic. Consequently, in 2026, the market continues to follow the same model: external supplies remain critical for stable metallurgical operations, and managing procurement costs is one of the top priorities for the entire industrial ecosystem.