According to GMK Center, citing railway transport data, mining and metallurgical complex (MMC) cargo accounts for an average of 47% of Ukrzaliznytsia's (UZ) total freight volume. In 2025, MMC shipment volumes dropped by 53% compared to 2021, totaling 76.8 million tons against 163.3 million tons. This negative trend persisted into early 2026: during the January-March period, shipments fell by 14.7% y/y to 15.3 million tons. The primary factor was a critical decline in iron ore exports, which decreased by 2.6 million tons, or 31% year-over-year.
Freight Structure and Shifting Logistics Routes
By the end of 2025, MMC cargo shipments decreased by 4.6% y/y, or 3.7 million tons, to 76.5 million tons. In the ferrous metals segment, the largest dispatch points in the first quarter of 2026 were Zaporizhzhia-Live station with 790,000 tons, followed by Kamianske and Kryvyi Rih with 423,000 and 380,000 tons, respectively. Export destinations dominated the key arrival points, including Odesa-Port, Berehova, Mostyska II, Izov, and Izmail. This confirms that the MMC logistics system is increasingly focusing on a combination of maritime and western land routes.
Regarding the structure of ferrous metal shipments in Q1, pig iron accounted for 24%, steel billets for 19%, rails for 6%, while pipes and ferroalloys each made up 1%. Meanwhile, 49% consisted of other types of rolled metal, indicating a wide range of domestic and export shipments. Following the launch of the maritime corridor in August 2023, the export logistics model shifted significantly. While 62% of ferrous metal exports went through western border crossings in 2023, by the end of 2025, their share dropped to 35%, with port transshipment accounting for 65% of exports.
Impact on the Rolled Metal Market and Solutions from winox.ua
The reduction in ore and metal product shipments directly impacts supply planning, raw material availability, and contract fulfillment speed within the metallurgical chain. For manufacturers, traders, and industrial consumers, this necessitates increased attention to delivery routes, inventory levels, and diversification of procurement channels. In this environment, companies capable of ensuring predictable metal supplies, even during periods of unstable transport dynamics, become particularly valuable.
For winox.ua customers, this situation underscores the importance of partnering with a supplier that systematically manages industrial rolled metal, stainless steel, and non-ferrous metals while prioritizing logistics reliability. Amid changes in rail and port flows, winox.ua helps businesses maintain supply stability and procurement planning. For B2B consumers, this provides practical value when transportation delays could otherwise impact production schedules and contractual obligations.
An additional factor for stability is the available capacity at Ukrzaliznytsia's border crossings. The company operates 15 crossings with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, and Romania, which are currently utilized at only 35–45% of their potential. This means that if necessary, cargo transfer volumes could nearly double. For the metal and rolled steel market, this creates potential for more flexible responses to export fluctuations and logistics restructuring in the interest of industrial consumers.