China: The Global Leader in Steel Coil Exports
China: The International Ironclad Tariff Surplus. There is no question that China is the world’s largest steel-coil exporter. China exports 111 million tons of steel in 2024, with a large part coming from steel coils. Several factors account for this robust export performance. For one, China has a huge steel production capacity, bolstered by sophisticated manufacturing technologies and a thriving industrial network. This allows the country to build high-quality steel coils at cheap prices. Second, China’s cut rate advantage is also apparent. The price of steel coils from China last year was $65 to $70 per ton lower compared to India and the Black Sea region. The price disparity has led Chinese steel coils to be very popular internationally, mainly among developing countries where infrastructure and production is growing. But China’s steel coil exports have also created difficulties. The last decade has seen other countries introduce measures to redress the trade differences between Chinese steel products such as anti-dumping and countervailing duties. Vietnam for example has recently slapped temporary anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese steel coils (19.38% to 27.83%), hitting large Chinese steel producers like Baosteel, Ansteel, and Shougang. South Korea laid duties on Chinese steel coils from 27.91% to 38.02% in the same way as it did on the rest of the world, affecting companies like Baosteel, Shagang and Xiangtan Iron & Steel. Nevertheless, exports of steel coils from China have proved highly resilient in the face of these challenges. China’s steel exports in 2025 were 98.6964 million tons in the first nine months, up 17.14% year-on-year. Of these the country with the strongest cumulative Year to Year increment was Saudi Arabia, with the accumulation of 1.4001 million tons with a growth of 41.28%. It signals that steel-coil exports of China are further increasing in new markets diversifying the export destinations.
Indonesia: A Rising Star in Steel Coil Exports
With great speed, Indonesia has become a big player in the steel coil export market around the world. Indonesia’s steel industry has undergone a rapid evolution over the past few years, from net importer to net exporter. And the World Steel Association reports Indonesia’s crude steel production at 18 million tons in 2024, 14th worldwide. It is estimated to rise to 33 million – 35 million tons by 2030. Indonesia’s steel coil exports have skyrocketed from 8.7025 million tons in 2020 to 20.9231 million tons in 2024, a 140.43 percent increase and it is the fourth steel exporter worldwide. Its export markets are becoming international, with China making up 62.3 percent of exports by 2024 and Chinese Taipei, India, Vietnam and Turkey following closely behind. The Indonesian government’s resource downstream strategy has been instrumental in the growth of the steel industry. This strategy seeks to bring forward the industrial chain, to deepen the added value of resources and to reduce reliance on raw material exports.
Turkey: A Dynamic Exporter with Growing Potential
Turkey has also emerged as a notable exporter of steel coils, leveraging its strategic geographical location and robust manufacturing sector. In 2025, from January to October, Turkey’s steel exports reached 16.04 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%. Hot-rolled coils and construction steel witnessed the most significant export growth, with hot-rolled coil exports surging by 25.8% to 3.26 million tons and rebar exports increasing by 18.1% to 3.26 million tons.
Turkey’s steel industry is characterized by its high proportion of electric arc furnace (EAF) production, accounting for 70% of its total steel capacity. This short-process production method, reliant on scrap steel as a raw material, has positioned Turkey as a key player in the global scrap steel trade. However, fluctuations in scrap steel prices and energy costs have influenced Turkey’s steel coil exports. In 2022, rising energy costs and a depreciating Turkish lira prompted Turkish steelmakers to increase imports of steel billets and finished steel products, rather than using scrap steel for crude steel production.
Despite these challenges, Turkey’s steel coil exports have continued to grow, driven by strong demand from regional markets. Romania remained Turkey’s largest export destination in 2025, with imports increasing by 15.1% to 1.51 million tons from January to October. Italy followed closely, with imports rising by 11% to 1.27 million tons during the same period.
Future Trends and Challenges
Global steel coil export market may expand in the future. Thus, the future outlook of this market for exports lies in being shaped by developing states as well as countries such as Indonesia and Turkey
The governments of many developing countries have been actively promoting their own industrialization processes and strengthening the construction of their infrastructure. As a result, the demands from developing countries have significantly driven the development of the steel product market. Developing countries also occupy a large share of the global market demand. China has always been a major exporter of steel products globally. However, in recent years, due to constraints from environmental laws and other factors, China’s steel production model needs to undergo transformation, shifting to more environmentally friendly production methods.