Malaysia and Japan strengthened their positions in the Turkish HRC import market in January-May 2026

In May of this year, imports of hot rolled steel (HRC) to Turkey totaled 291,275 metric tons, down 13.0 percent from April and 43.2 percent year-on-year, according to preliminary data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). Meanwhile, the value of these imports amounted to $158.40 million, a decrease of 12.5% compared to the previous month and 42.6% year-on-year.

In the period from January to May of this year, imports of HRC to Turkey amounted to 1.43 million tons, which is 8.6% less, while the value of these imports decreased by 11.1% to $778.91 million year-on-year.

Import of hot-rolled coils to Turkey - for the last 12 months

China was the largest supplier of hot rolled coils to Turkey between January and May 2025, followed by Russia, Egypt, South Korea and Japan. However, the rating has changed significantly over the same period of 2026. Imports from Russia decreased 3.6 percent year-on-year to 298,590 tons, but Russia still came out on top, while imports from China fell 55.8 percent to 283,068 tons, dropping the country to second place. The most noticeable change in the supply structure was Malaysia, whose shipments increased from almost negligible levels last year to 265,533 tons, making it the third largest supplier of HRC to Turkey. Imports from Japan increased by 21 percent to 137,889 tons, while imports from Egypt decreased by 47 percent to 110,907 tons. In general, although the total volume of HRC imports to Turkey