Russian imports of stainless steel products grew by 2.4 percent in 1H

The latest data released by the Special Steels Association shows that the country's stainless steel imports increased marginally during the first half of 2014.

According to the published data, Russian imports of stainless steel products amounted to 124,200 tons, which is 2.4 percent higher compared to imports in the corresponding six-month period of 2013. Imports of steel products in the country during January-June last year totaled 121,300 tons.

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Imports of long steel products increased by 16.7 percent during the six-month period. A jump of 7 percent was noted in imports of flat products during this period. However, imports of electrowelded pipes decreased by 18 percent during the period from January to June of this year, compared to the corresponding half of 2013.

Meanwhile, Spetsstal's data also indicate that billet imports dropped significantly during the first six months of 2014. The decrease was 21.7 percent over the previous year. Imports of seamless steel pipes in Russia decreased by 33.7 percent. On the other hand, imports of wire rod showed a jump of 18 percent over the previous year.