Türkiye and South Korea were the largest individual sources of imported flat steel for the European Union in 2025, according to EUROFER data. The figures were published as European steelmakers operate amid subdued demand, shifting trade conditions and the start of definitive carbon-border requirements. The reporting date for the EUROFER dataset is June 3, 2026.
EUROFER’s European Steel in Figures 2026 records about 23.1 million tonnes of flat-steel imports in 2025. Türkiye supplied 3.28 million tonnes, or 14.2% of the total, narrowly ahead of South Korea at 3.24 million tonnes, or 14.0%. India followed with 2.26 million tonnes, equivalent to 9.8%. Other suppliers listed include Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Ukraine.
Flat-steel import rankings versus CBAM product coverage
The EUROFER totals cover a specific statistical category of flat-steel products rather than all imports subject to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. CBAM applies to selected steel classifications identified in Annex I of the legislation. EUROFER’s product groupings are described as broader market-analysis categories.
A carbon-related liability assessment requires verification at product level, including the applicable eight-digit Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes for the relevant reporting year. Aggregate import volumes and broad headings can show competitive pressure but cannot determine how carbon costs are distributed across suppliers or product categories.
Trade flow changes and timing effects in 2025–2026
EUROFER reported on October 1 that steel imports fell by 5% in the first half of 2026 after an exceptional increase in shipments toward the end of 2025. Its outlook projected apparent steel-consumption growth of 0.1% in 2026 while EU steel exports declined by 20% in the first half of the year. These shifts can affect supplier rankings depending on which comparison period is used and which products are included.
The late-2025 rise may also reflect stockpiling ahead of the definitive CBAM phase, which began on January 1, 2026. Other factors cited include trade safeguards, tariffs and international steel prices that influenced purchasing decisions during the same period.
Limits of available customs data for CBAM market shares
The latest trade-data reference cited is Eurostat’s Comext dataset updated on October 16, 2026. Eurostat’s general merchandise release published that day covered August 2026 and reported total extra-EU imports of €228.0 billion, up 18.2% year on year.
This aggregate figure does not provide a comparable breakdown of steel imports by CN8 classification and country of origin for August 2026. As a result, it cannot independently establish country-by-country CBAM steel market shares for that month.
Requirements for supplier comparisons by CN8 code
A defensible comparison would use import volumes measured in tonnes, customs values in euros and implied unit values in euros per tonne for each relevant CN8 code and trading partner. The analysis would cover August 2026, July 2026 and August 2025, with January-to-August comparisons where complete data are available.
Each country’s share would need to be calculated against the same extra-EU import denominator for the relevant product and period. Changes in market share should be expressed in percentage points rather than percentage growth, and provisional or revised customs records and exemptions based on country of origin should be identified explicitly.
Price comparisons also require caution because changes in average customs value per tonne can reflect shifts in product composition, such as a higher proportion of coated coils relative to basic hot-rolled steel, rather than higher carbon-related costs.
CBAM certificate pricing and emissions evidence constraints
The published Q3 2026 CBAM certificate price is €82.32 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent, which provides a reference point when emissions data and free-allocation adjustments are known. The price cannot be applied uniformly to gross imported steel tonnage because calculations depend on the covered product, its embedded emissions and applicable adjustments under CBAM rules.
A separate development concerns a provisional agreement to raise the Market Stability Reserve invalidation threshold from 400 million allowances to 700 million, pending adoption. The proposed change may influence expectations about future carbon-market conditions but does not alter historical country shares recorded in customs data.
Long-steel imports follow a different supplier pattern
EU imports of long steel products showed a different distribution in 2025 than flat-steel imports. EUROFER estimates long-steel imports at approximately 6.7 million tonnes, with Türkiye supplying around 1.53 million tonnes, or 23.0%, and Ukraine contributing about 0.64 million tonnes, or 9.6%.
The long-steel figures relate to a separate product group and must not be combined with flat-steel statistics to produce a single supplier ranking without weighting volumes and confirming applicable product coverage. The long-steel category may include classifications and producers that do not correspond precisely to the subset covered by CBAM Annex I.
Differentials in long-product pricing can reflect delivery ports, structural-section specifications, reinforcing-bar standards, quality certification and seasonal construction demand. A supplier may gain share in one category while losing ground in another when measured by customs value, since purchasing decisions also depend on product mix and commercial requirements.
The source also notes that European steelmakers face weak domestic demand while foreign suppliers compete to maintain positions established before the definitive CBAM phase began on January 1, 2026. It adds that buyers increasingly consider installation-level emissions evidence alongside product specifications, pricing and delivery conditions, requiring comparable CN8-level shipment data rather than conclusions drawn from aggregate trade figures or individual policy announcements.