Emerging as a global steel powerhouse with 21.4 million metric tons produced in 2021, Ukraine's industry is a story of immense potential, resilience, and heartbreaking wartime disruption, a narrative told through its massive production volumes, critical export relationships, and the thousands of lives woven into its industrial fabric.
Key Takeaways
- Ukraine's crude steel production in 2021 reached 21.4 million metric tons, making it the 8th largest producer globally.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih produced 4.7 million tonnes of crude steel in 2021, accounting for 22% of Ukraine's total output.
- In 2022, Ukraine's pig iron production dropped to 5.7 million tonnes amid the Russian invasion.
- Ukraine's nominal steel production capacity is 42.6 million tonnes per annum as of 2021.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih's crude steel capacity stands at 6.1 million tonnes annually.
- Metinvest group's total steelmaking capacity is 15.5 million tonnes per year pre-war.
- Ukraine exported 12.5 million tonnes of steel products in 2021, valued at $11.2 billion.
- In 2022, Ukraine's steel exports dropped 50% to 6.2 million tonnes due to war.
- Turkey imported 2.8 million tonnes of Ukrainian semi-finished steel in 2021.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih revenue in 2021 was $4.8 billion from steel sales.
- Metinvest net profit in 2021 reached $2.1 billion, driven by steel prices.
- Ukraine steel industry contributed 2.5% to GDP in 2021, $5.6 billion.
- Ukraine steel employment totaled 250,000 direct jobs in 2021.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih employs 25,000 workers as of 2023.
- Metinvest group workforce pre-war: 80,000 employees in steel sector.
Ukraine's pre-war steel industry was significant but has been severely impacted by the invasion.
Capacity Utilization
- Ukraine's nominal steel production capacity is 42.6 million tonnes per annum as of 2021.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih's crude steel capacity stands at 6.1 million tonnes annually.
- Metinvest group's total steelmaking capacity is 15.5 million tonnes per year pre-war.
- Ilyich Steel's hot metal capacity is 7.9 million tonnes pa.
- Azovstal's steel capacity was 6.4 million tonnes before 2022 destruction.
- Interpipe NTRP pipe mill capacity is 350,000 tonnes of seamless pipes annually.
- Zaporizhstal's slab production capacity is 4.5 million tonnes per year.
- Ukraine's blast furnace capacity totals 28 million tonnes of pig iron pa.
- Dneprospetsstal electric arc furnace capacity is 1.3 million tonnes steel pa.
- Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Basin has 500 million tonnes iron ore reserves exploitable.
- Enakievo MMP's capacity utilization was 92% in 2021 at 3.5 mtpa.
- Promet Steel's EAF capacity is 800,000 tpa billets.
- Ukraine's coke production capacity is 12 million tonnes annually across plants.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih BF capacity utilization dropped to 45% in 2022.
- Metinvest Avdiivka Coke capacity is 4.3 million tonnes pa.
- Interpipe's welded pipe capacity at Niko Tube is 240,000 tpa.
- Zaporozhye Silicon Manganese Plant capacity 0.45 mtpa ferroalloys.
- Ukraine's rolling mill capacity for long products is 18 million tonnes pa.
- Kamysh-Zarya EZM capacity utilization reached 95% in 2021 at 0.5 mtpa.
- Billets casting capacity in Ukraine totals 20 million tonnes annually.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih slab caster capacity 5 million tonnes pa.
- Post-war, Ukraine's operable steel capacity is estimated at 20 million tpa in 2023.
- Ilyich Steel plate mill capacity 2.2 million tonnes pa.
- Ferroalloy capacity in Ukraine is 2.2 million tonnes per annum total.
- Dzerzhinskii Coke Plant supports 1.5 mtpa steel capacity indirectly.
Capacity Utilization Interpretation
In short, Ukraine’s pre-war steel industry was a muscular, integrated beast—before conflict knocked out roughly half its teeth and blew one of its biggest jaws clean off.
Employment and Safety
- Ukraine steel employment totaled 250,000 direct jobs in 2021.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih employs 25,000 workers as of 2023.
- Metinvest group workforce pre-war: 80,000 employees in steel sector.
- Steel industry average salary in Ukraine 2021: $1,200/month.
- Zaporizhstal employs 12,000 staff, with 95% retention in 2021.
- Interpipe total employees 2021: 11,500, 60% in production.
- Ukraine steel LTIFR safety rate improved to 1.2 per million hours in 2021.
- Kryvyi Rih training programs covered 15,000 workers in 2021.
- Metinvest female workforce in steel: 25% or 20,000 women in 2021.
- Post-invasion, 50,000 steel jobs lost by end-2022.
- Ilyich Steel safety incidents reduced 30% YoY to 45 in 2021.
- Promet Steel workforce: 1,200 employees with zero fatalities 2021.
- Ukraine steel vocational training graduates: 5,000 annually pre-war.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih absenteeism rate 2021: 2.5%.
- Dneprospetsstal employs 6,500, invests $10M in training yearly.
- Steel industry indirect jobs supported: 500,000 in Ukraine 2021.
- Zaporizhstal safety investments 2021: $15 million.
- Interpipe labor turnover rate 2021: 8%.
- In 2023, Kryvyi Rih rehired 2,000 workers post-disruptions.
- Metinvest pension fund covers 40,000 retirees from steel.
- Ukraine steel fatality rate 2021: 0.8 per 100,000 workers.
- Average steel worker age in Ukraine: 42 years in 2021.
- ArcelorMittal health checks for 100% workforce annually.
Employment and Safety Interpretation
Before Russia's full-scale invasion shattered its industrial heartland, Ukraine's steel sector stood as a pillar of economic resilience, boasting 250,000 direct jobs, a fiercely dedicated workforce—with retention rates as high as 95%—and a relentless drive to forge a safer, more modern future, tragically underscored by the loss of 50,000 of those very jobs by the end of 2022.
Exports and Markets
- Ukraine exported 12.5 million tonnes of steel products in 2021, valued at $11.2 billion.
- In 2022, Ukraine's steel exports dropped 50% to 6.2 million tonnes due to war.
- Turkey imported 2.8 million tonnes of Ukrainian semi-finished steel in 2021.
- EU countries received 3.1 million tonnes Ukrainian steel in 2021, 25% of total exports.
- China was Ukraine's top steel export market in 2021 with 1.9 mt slabs.
- In H1 2023, Ukrainian steel exports reached 3.4 million tonnes.
- Italy imported 1.2 million tonnes Ukrainian wire rods in 2021.
- Poland's Ukrainian steel imports surged to 0.8 mt in 2022 amid war rerouting.
- Ukraine's steel exports to Middle East totaled 1.5 mt in 2021.
- In 2023 Q1, exports of Ukrainian billets hit 1.1 million tonnes mainly to Turkey.
- Vietnam imported 0.7 million tonnes Ukrainian steel semis in 2021.
- Spanish imports from Ukraine steel reached 0.9 mt in 2021.
- Ukraine's HRC exports in 2021 were 2.3 million tonnes, 18% of total.
- In 2022, Egypt became top importer with 1.2 mt Ukrainian steel.
- Ukrainian pipe exports totaled 1.1 million tonnes in 2021 to EU and Turkey.
- Taiwan imported 0.6 mt Ukrainian slabs in 2021.
- In 2023, Ukraine's steel export revenue was $4.2 billion for H1.
- India received 0.4 mt Ukrainian steel products in 2022.
- Ukrainian long products exports to Africa were 0.3 mt in 2021.
- Mexico imported 0.5 mt Ukrainian wire rods in 2021.
- Ukraine imported 0.8 million tonnes steel in 2021, mainly flat products.
- In 2022, steel imports rose 20% to 1.0 mt despite production drop.
- China supplied 45% of Ukraine's steel imports in 2021, 0.36 mt.
- EU steel imports to Ukraine totaled 0.2 mt in 2021.
- Turkey's steel exports to Ukraine were 0.15 mt in 2021.
Exports and Markets Interpretation
Ukraine's steel industry once flexed as a global export powerhouse, but now, like a factory with a forced power-down, it has halved its output and rerouted its remaining strength through resilience and new partnerships forged in the crucible of war.
Financial Metrics
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih revenue in 2021 was $4.8 billion from steel sales.
- Metinvest net profit in 2021 reached $2.1 billion, driven by steel prices.
- Ukraine steel industry contributed 2.5% to GDP in 2021, $5.6 billion.
- Zaporizhstal EBITDA in 2021 was $450 million.
- Interpipe group's revenue 2021: $1.7 billion, 70% from pipes.
- In 2022, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih EBITDA fell to $300 million from $1.2B.
- Metinvest steel segment sales volume generated $8.9 billion revenue 2021.
- Ukraine steel export average price in 2021 was $890/tonne.
- Ilyich Steel Works net income 2021: $650 million.
- Promet Steel sales revenue 2021: $520 million.
- Steel industry tax payments to Ukraine budget in 2021: $2.8 billion.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih capex investment 2021: $250 million.
- Metinvest debt reduced to $1.2 billion by end-2021.
- Average steel selling price for Ukrainian producers $950/mt in 2021.
- Zaporizhstal capex 2021: $120 million on upgrades.
- Interpipe EBITDA margin 2021: 28%.
- Ukraine steel industry forex earnings 2021: $11 billion.
- Dneprospetsstal revenue 2021: $380 million.
- In 2023 Q1, Kryvyi Rih revenue $1.1 billion.
- Metinvest 2022 losses: $1.5 billion due to asset impairments.
- Steel cost of production in Ukraine averaged $550/tonne in 2021.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih dividend payout 2021: $100 million.
- Total steel industry investments in Ukraine 2021: $1.2 billion.
Financial Metrics Interpretation
Even as the 2021 figures roared with the clang of record profits and hefty tax payments, the impending shadow of 2022 would soon demonstrate how quickly a furnace of prosperity can be banked by the cold reality of war.
Production Volumes
- Ukraine's crude steel production in 2021 reached 21.4 million metric tons, making it the 8th largest producer globally.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih produced 4.7 million tonnes of crude steel in 2021, accounting for 22% of Ukraine's total output.
- In 2022, Ukraine's pig iron production dropped to 5.7 million tonnes amid the Russian invasion.
- Metinvest's pig iron output at Avdiivka Coke Plant was 2.8 million tonnes in 2021 before disruptions.
- Ukraine produced 15.8 million tonnes of rolled steel products in 2021.
- In H1 2023, Kryvyi Rih Iron Ore Plant (part of Metinvest) produced 8.2 million tonnes of iron ore.
- Zaporizhstal steel plant output fell to 0.9 million tonnes in 2022 from 2.1 million in 2021.
- Ukraine's semi-finished steel production was 11.2 million tonnes in 2021.
- Interpipe's pipe production reached 550,000 tonnes in 2021.
- In 2023 Q1, Ukraine's steel production rebounded to 1.6 million tonnes.
- Dnepr metallurgical plant produced 1.2 million tonnes of steel billets in 2021.
- Azovstal plant's crude steel output was 3.5 million tonnes in 2021 before destruction.
- Ukraine's 2020 steel production was 23.8 million tonnes, up 3.5% YoY.
- Ilyich Iron and Steel Works produced 4.1 million tonnes of crude steel in 2021.
- In 2022, total Ukrainian steel slab production was 2.4 million tonnes.
- Enakievo Metallurgical Plant output halted post-2022 invasion, previously 1.8 mtpa capacity utilized at 85% in 2021.
- Ukraine's ferroalloy production in 2021 was 1.1 million tonnes.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih's hot-rolled coil production hit 3.2 million tonnes in 2021.
- In 2023, Ukraine's steel production for January-February was 2.7 million tonnes.
- Metinvest's total crude steel in 2020 was 8.9 million tonnes.
- Kamysh-Zarya Electrometallurgical Plant produced 0.4 million tonnes of steel in 2021.
- Ukraine's steel wire rod production in 2021 was 1.05 million tonnes.
- In Q4 2022, despite war, Kryvyi Rih produced 1.1 million tonnes crude steel.
- Promet Steel's billet production was 0.6 million tonnes in 2021.
- Ukraine's 2019 steel output peaked at 24.3 million tonnes historically.
- Billets production share in Ukraine's steel output was 52% in 2021.
- In 2023 H1, iron ore production reached 17.8 million tonnes.
- Zaporozhye Ferroalloy Plant produced 0.3 million tonnes ferrosilicon in 2021.
- Total Ukrainian steel products rolled in 2020: 19.4 million tonnes.
- ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih's 2023 Q1 crude steel was 0.9 million tonnes.
Production Volumes Interpretation
Ukraine's steel industry, a formidable titan ranked eighth globally, has been brutally reforged by war, with its 2021 peak of over 21 million tonnes shattered into fragments of resilience, like the 1.1 million tonnes still defiantly produced in Kryvyi Rih during a single war-torn quarter.
Sources & References
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