Russian Stainless Steel Export Rises 14%

According to SpetsStal Association, Russian stainless steel exports rose 14% to 3306 tons in 1H 2011, compared to the same period in 2010.

It is not bad considering that exports have shifted to low-value-added stainless steel products. For instance, exports of slabs/ingots/forged pieces rose 8.5 times to 753 tons which account for the main reason of the increased export supplies.

The share of slabs rose from 3.1% in 2010 to 22.8% in 2011. In main, it is connected with an increase of stainless steel output at Chelyabinsky Plant as well as with exports of forged pieces made at UralKuz.

An interesting fact that Chelyabisky Plant in 1H 2011 exported 730 tons (325 tons – slabs/ingots, 402 tons – flats and 3 tons – longs) while at the same time imported HR flats in the amount of 1524 tons.

Getting back to Russian stainless steel exports in 1H 2011, it is worth mentioning that apart from exports of longs (which rose 59.4% to 1197 tons), exports of other kinds of stainless steel dropped. Exports of flats went down 24.5% to 1151 tons, wire – down 33.3% (36 tons), weled tubes – down 71.4% (8 tons) and seamless tubes – down 64.4% (161 tons).

To remind, Russian imports of main kinds of stainless steel products in 1H 2011 rose 36.4% to 113.7 thousand tons.

Upcoming event:
II International Conference ‘Russian Stainless Steel Consumer’, 20 October 2011, Moscow Radisson Hotel
Discounted registration is open before 12 August 2011.
Details and Registration at http://www.stainless-conference.ru/invitation_en.php