Kazakhstan steel exports up 6% year-on-year in January-July

Steel exports from Kazakhstan increased by 6% in the first seven months of the year compared with the corresponding period in 2011, according to data from the country’s customs authority.

September 21, 2012

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Kazakhstan exported 2.9 million tonnes of steel worth $2.88 billion over January-July, compared with 2.75 million tonnes worth $2.42 billion in the same period last year.

The main buyers were Japan, which took 424,000 tonnes, China (587,000 tonnes), Germany (323,000 tonnes), Turkey (311,000 tonnes) and Iran (288,000 tonnes).

Broken down by product, Kazakhstan exported 1.45 million tonnes of ferro-alloys, 431,000 tonnes of ferrous scrap, 434,000 tonnes of semi-finished products, 297,000 tonnes of hot rolled flat products, 194,000 tonnes of cold rolled flat products and 67,000 tonnes of coated flat products.

Due to high local production, Kazakhstan imported just 141,000 tonnes of steel in the first seven months of the year.

Kazakhstan’s crude steel production reached 2.33 million tonnes in January-July, a fall of 20.5% against the same period last year, according to data published by the country’s State Statistics Committee.