Turkish finished product consumption declined 0.4% year-on-year in January-September to 22.83 million tonnes due to slackening Turkish economic growth, Kallanish learns from the Turkish Steel Producers’ Association (TCUD).

Long products accounted for 53.7% of this figure – an increase of 0.4% y-o-y – at 12.26mt. Flats consumption decreased 1.3% to 10.57mt.

Production of finished products, meanwhile, increased 1.2% in the nine months to 26.64mt, as Turkey consumed more domestically-produced steel. Longs output remained flat at 19.51mt, while flats production was up 4.3% to 7.45mt.

Steel imports in the nine months declined 9% to 10.05mt and 7.2% in value to $8.88 billion. The ratio of exports to imports rose to 130:100. Imports of billet were down 1.4% to 2.26mt, while slab imports plummeted 33.4% to 1.07mt. Flats and pipe imports fell 8.6% and 5.9% to 4.96mt and 323,000t respectively, but longs imports increased 3% to 1.1mt.

Turkish merchant billet suppliers, meanwhile, have been far less active in exports markets this year, shipping 63% less semis at 501,000t.