According to data from the State Customs Service, Turkey was previously the main destination for Ukrainian scrap metal exports, but starting in 2023, companies from Poland have become the primary buyers. In the year before last, Polish counterparts purchased 160,600 tons of Ukrainian scrap metal, accounting for 88% of total exports. Last year, shipments to Poland increased to 248,600 tons, representing 85% of the overall volume.
This is reported by Business • Media
During the period from January to February 2025, Polish companies received 38,850 tons of Ukrainian raw materials, which constitutes 94.8% of the total export volume. These figures indicate a rapid increase in scrap metal supplies heading towards Europe.
EU and the Challenges Faced by Ukrainian Metallurgists
Unlike Turkey, the European Union is a major exporter of scrap metal. This means that European metallurgists do not face the same challenges as their Ukrainian counterparts. Last year, European scrap dealers exported 16.72 million tons of scrap metal, of which approximately 1.3 million tons were destined for Poland.
Threat to Ukrainian Metallurgical Enterprises
Currently, several Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises that are still operational face the threat of production cuts, particularly due to a shortage of scrap metal. This leads to a decrease in revenue. At the beginning of February, representatives from the metallurgy and foundry sectors warned of a potential significant shortage of scrap metal in the domestic market in 2025.