Ukraine fully stopped pig iron exports in August due to port blockade

Ukraine virtually stopped exporting merchant pig iron in August amid the blockade of Black Sea ports. According to the State Customs Service, only 34 tons of products were shipped abroad during the month, against 51.5 thousand tons in July and 183.8 thousand tons in June.

According to GMK Center calculations, in January-August Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises exported 1.03 million tons of pig iron. This is 16.4% less than in the same period of 2025. Export revenue decreased by about 15% - to $413 million. 

The main sales market remains the United States. Over eight months, about 900.6 thousand tons of Ukrainian pig iron were delivered there. Turkey received another 83.2 thousand tons, and Italy - 26.5 thousand tons.

GMK Center links the practical halt of August shipments with the blockade of Black Sea ports. The company notes that prolonged restriction of sea exports creates a risk for Ukrainian producers of losing market share in foreign markets.

The drop in exports coincided with a sharp reduction in metallurgical production. According to Ukrmetalurgprom, in August pig iron production in Ukraine decreased by 65.6% compared to July - to 257.1 thousand tons. In total, in January-August pig iron production amounted to 4.35 million tons, which is 14.8% less than last year.

For comparison, in 2025 Ukraine increased merchant pig iron exports by 53.5% - to 1.98 million tons, and revenue from its sale abroad amounted to almost $760 million.