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EU Russian Steel Imports Plunge 55% as Slab Quota Tightens
European Union imports of Russian-origin iron and steel products fell 55% year over year during the first eight months of 2026, but almost all remaining volumes were concentrated in semi-finished steel as transitional slab quotas continue to wind down toward a full phase-out in 2028.
By Paul Ploumis
Published October 14, 2026
Key Points
- Total Russian iron and steel imports: 1.6 million tonnes, ↓55% YoY.
- Import value: €682 million, ↓54%.
- Semi-finished steel: 1.56 million tonnes, representing 97.8% of total volume.
- Belgium: 767,700 tonnes of Russian semi-finished steel.
- Italy: 191,800 tonnes, ↓65.1% YoY.
- Russian scrap: 41,300 tonnes, ↓21.3%.
- Current Russian slab quota: 2.624 million tonnes for Oct. 2026–Sept. 2027, down 12.5% from the previous quota year.
MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): European Union imports of Russian-origin iron and steel products dropped sharply during January through August 2026 as sanctions and declining transitional quotas continued to reduce trade between the two markets.
EU countries imported approximately 1.6 million tonnes of Russian iron and steel products during the eight-month period, according to calculations based on Eurostat trade data.
That represents a ↓55% year-over-year decline.
The value of those shipments fell ↓54% to approximately €682 million.
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The 55% decline gives the impression that Russian steel has almost disappeared from the European market. The product mix tells a more complicated story.
Semi-finished steel accounted for 97.8% of all Russian iron and steel tonnage entering the EU during January through August.
Of the 1.56 million tonnes of semi-finished products imported, Belgium received approximately 767,700 tonnes.
That means Belgium alone accounted for roughly 49% of the EU's Russian semi-finished steel imports.
Italy imported another 191,800 tonnes, putting the two countries together at roughly 61.5% of the total semi-finished volume.
This is no longer a broad EU-Russia steel trade relationship. It is increasingly a narrow flow centered on semi-finished material, particularly slabs, under temporary sanctions exemptions.
That concentration becomes more important because the allowable volume is now shrinking again.
The Russian slab quota was 2,998,324 tonnes for the period from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.
For the current quota year, which began October 1, 2026, the ceiling has fallen to 2,623,534 tonnes — approximately 375,000 tonnes, or 12.5%, lower.
It is scheduled to decline again to 2,061,348 tonnes from October 2027 through September 2028 before the transitional arrangement ends.
For steel and scrap markets, the question is therefore shifting from whether Russian supply will decline to what replaces it. A reduction in Russian slabs does not automatically translate into higher scrap consumption, but EU mills will increasingly need alternative semi-finished steel, greater domestic production or other metallic inputs as the remaining exemption narrows.
Semi-Finished Steel Accounts for Almost All Remaining Imports
EU countries imported approximately 1.56 million tonnes of Russian semi-finished steel products during January through August 2026.
Volumes were ↓34% lower than during the comparable period last year.
The value of those imports fell ↓37% to approximately €670 million.
Those figures mean semi-finished products represented approximately 97.8% of total import tonnage and more than 98% of the reported value.
| EU Imports From Russia | Jan–Aug 2026 | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|
| Total Iron & Steel | 1.60 Mt | ↓55% |
| Semi-Finished Steel | 1.56 Mt | ↓34% |
| Steel Scrap | 41,300 MT | ↓21.3% |
Belgium Remains the Largest Destination
Belgium remained by far the largest EU destination for Russian semi-finished steel.
The country imported approximately 767,700 tonnes during the first eight months of 2026.
That was ↓10.5% from the same period last year.
Italy imported approximately 191,800 tonnes, down a much steeper ↓65.1% year over year.
| Destination | Russian Semi-Finished Imports | YoY Change | Share of EU Semi-Finished Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 767,700 MT | ↓10.5% | ~49.2% |
| Italy | 191,800 MT | ↓65.1% | ~12.3% |
| Combined | 959,500 MT | — | ~61.5% |
The figures show how concentrated the remaining Russian semi-finished trade has become among a relatively small number of European buyers.
Russian Slab Quota Is Already Smaller for the New Quota Year
The EU sanctions regime contains a temporary exemption allowing specified quantities of Russian slabs under CN code 7207 12 10 to continue entering the bloc.
The exemption is being reduced in stages.
| Quota Period | Russian Slab Allowance | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 2024–Sept. 2025 | 3,185,719 MT | — |
| Oct. 2025–Sept. 2026 | 2,998,324 MT | Lower |
| Oct. 2026–Sept. 2027 | 2,623,534 MT | ↓12.5% |
| Oct. 2027–Sept. 2028 | 2,061,348 MT | ↓21.4% |
The European Parliament, Council and Commission reiterated in June that the declining quotas are intended to provide a gradual transition toward a complete phase-out of the remaining Russian steel imports by September 30, 2028.
Previous Slab Quota Was Used Quickly
GMK Center's analysis of Eurostat data indicates that the slab quota covering October 2025 through September 2026 was effectively exhausted within the first four months of calendar 2026.
The timing can appear confusing because the sanctions quota does not follow the calendar year.
The 2.998-million-tonne allowance began on October 1, 2025, meaning imports during the final three months of 2025 also counted toward the same quota used during early 2026.
Rapid utilization shows that, despite the overall decline in Russian steel imports, certain European mills continued to rely on Russian slabs while the transitional exemption remained available.
Russian Scrap Deliveries Fall 21.3%
Russian-origin steel scrap imports also declined during the reporting period.
The EU imported approximately 41,300 tonnes of Russian scrap in January through August, down ↓21.3% year over year.
The reported value of those imports fell even faster, declining ↓33.5% to approximately €11.7 million.
For ScrapMonster readers, this is an important distinction from the slab trade: Russian scrap volumes are comparatively small, while semi-finished steel remains the dominant component of the EU-Russia ferrous trade still permitted under transitional rules.
Pig Iron and DRI Imports Fall to Zero
The Eurostat-based analysis recorded no EU imports of Russian pig iron or direct-reduced iron during January through August 2026.
The transition arrangements that had permitted limited volumes of those products ended at the beginning of 2026.
No Russian ferroalloy or iron ore imports were recorded during the same eight-month period either.
EU sanctions prohibit imports of a broad range of Russian iron and steel products, while specific transitional exceptions remain for limited categories including certain semi-finished products.
Why Russian Slabs Are Still Entering the EU
The remaining Russian slab trade is not evidence that the broader EU iron and steel sanctions have been removed.
The sanctions framework generally prohibits Russian-origin iron and steel imports but contains defined temporary derogations for specific semi-finished products.
Those exemptions were designed to give European downstream producers time to diversify supply chains before the final prohibition applies.
The volume allowed under that transition is progressively declining each year.
EU institutions said in June that areas of continued dependence require additional attention and explicitly singled out steel slabs as one of the remaining Russian steel products still subject to a phased transition.
What the Shrinking Slab Quota Could Mean for European Mills
As the Russian allowance contracts, affected European steelmakers will have several possible responses.
They may source slabs from other countries, increase internal steelmaking where capacity permits, alter product mixes or rely more heavily on alternative metallic inputs.
A smaller Russian slab quota does not automatically mean higher European scrap demand.
The actual effect on scrap will depend on which facilities replace the tonnes, their production routes and whether substitute supply arrives as imported slabs, pig iron, DRI, crude steel or recycled ferrous material.
For recyclers, the useful signal is that a long-standing source of semi-finished material is being deliberately reduced, potentially changing the competition between primary and secondary metallic inputs over time.
What to Watch Next
Current slab quota: The Oct. 2026–Sept. 2027 Russian slab allowance is 2.624 million tonnes, 12.5% below the previous quota year.
Belgian imports: Belgium currently represents nearly half of reported Russian semi-finished volumes and will be one of the most important markets to watch as quotas tighten.
Alternative slab suppliers: European mills dependent on imported semi-finished steel will need to continue diversifying supply before the September 2028 phase-out.
European scrap demand: Any increase will depend on how mills replace Russian slab tonnage and which steelmaking routes gain production.
Final quota reduction: The slab allowance falls again to approximately 2.061 million tonnes for Oct. 2027–Sept. 2028.
September 30, 2028: EU institutions identify this as the end of the remaining transitional Russian steel-import arrangements.
ScrapMonster Market Read: The headline 55% decline confirms that EU-Russia ferrous trade is being dismantled, but the remaining flow is far from random. Almost every tonne still entering the bloc is semi-finished steel, and a large share is concentrated in Belgium and Italy. The more important forward signal is the quota schedule: the allowable Russian slab volume has just been reduced another 12.5% and is scheduled to fall sharply again next year before disappearing in September 2028. For European mills, the next two years are therefore less about whether Russian slabs will be phased out and more about what metallic units replace them. That replacement mix will determine whether the effect is felt primarily in alternative slab imports, domestic steel production, DRI, pig iron or ferrous scrap demand.
Sources: Eurostat data calculations reported by GMK Center; Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014; Council Regulation (EU) 2023/2878; European Parliament, Council and European Commission.
