Pig iron production fell by 65.6%, and rolled steel by 57.4%
In August 2026, Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises reduced steel smelting by 57.3% compared to the same period last year, down to 277,000 tons. The industry has been under pressure from the maritime blockade, European trade restrictions, and a series of Russian missile strikes. This was reported by Delo.ua citing GMK Center, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Monthly steel smelting figures also proved to be 39.4% lower than July volumes. A similar negative trend is observed in other segments of metallurgical production. Specifically, pig iron output fell to 257.1 thousand tons, which is 65.6% less than in August 2025. The volume of commercial rolled steel decreased by 57.4% year-on-year, stopping at 269.5 thousand tons.
Crisis of production capacity
General results for the first eight months of 2026 show a steady decline in the industry, although not as catastrophic as in August alone. Steel smelting for this period decreased by 12.5% to 4.3 million tons, pig iron by 14.8% to 4.35 million tons, and rolled steel by 15.6% to 3.59 million tons.
Direct attacks on infrastructure have become a significant destabilizing factor. The Zaporizhstal plant ceased operations after a series of missile strikes on August 11 and 27. As a result of these attacks, seven workers died, and blast furnace, coke, and energy facilities were damaged. By the beginning of September, negative trends intensified due to the shelling of Kametstal in Kamianske, which caused a production halt at yet another key facility.
Industry analyst forecasts
GMK Center chief analyst Andriy Tarasenko emphasized that the August figures are among the lowest in the history of Ukrainian metallurgy, second only to the results of the most critical months of 2022. Due to prolonged plant downtime, production figures are expected to remain low throughout September.
External factors, particularly the European CBAM mechanism and restrictions on imports of Ukrainian steel, are putting additional pressure on metallurgists. Ukrmetallurgprom had previously warned that due to the blockade of the Greater Odesa ports, the annual decline in production could reach 50%. Given current circumstances, the industry is preparing for a long period of limited exports and supply chain difficulties.
Photo: Delo.ua
Read also: Federation of Metallurgists of Ukraine: Industry faces shutdown without state aid
