According to BigMint estimates, Russian steelmakers increased steel exports by 13% to 12.1 million tons in 2025, ranking sixth in the world. In terms of growth rate, Russia was second only to Brazil, Kommersant reports.
The increase in supplies is due to the abolition of export duties and weak domestic demand. About 40% of Russian rolled products go to the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, the rest to the CIS. Until 2022, Europe was the main market.
Despite the sanctions imposed against Russian steelmakers in 2022, supplies of ferrous metallurgy products from Russia to the EU continue, although they have significantly decreased: according to Eurostat, in 2021 they amounted to 7.4 billion euros, in 2022 they decreased to 5.6 billion, in 2023 to 2.9 billion, in 2024 to 2.6 billion, and for 10 months of 2025 they did not reach 1.8 billion euros. At the same time, the European Union retained exceptions for certain types of metal products.
Russia's main competitor is China, which maintains high exports amid weak domestic demand. Russian companies retain their positions due to price discounts and flexible deliveries. Export profitability remains lower than domestic profitability due to logistics costs. Further dynamics will depend on the recovery of domestic demand and infrastructure projects in Russia.
