Imports of Czech semi-finished products increased sharply in the first half of the year
In the first half of 2025, the Czech Republic saw a sharp increase in imports of semi-finished steel products, while the consumption of long products decreased. Imports of the largest group of products, semi–finished products, increased slightly, Kallanish notes based on GTT data.
Consumption of semi-finished products in the first half of the year increased by 79% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 663,358 tons. This coincided with the resumption of part of the steel production on a toll basis at the beleaguered Liberty plant in Ostrava, with semi-finished products supplied by two separate companies. The blast furnace of the plant has been idle since 2023.
Recently, the company was acquired by a consortium that includes SPV NH Ostrava and SPV NH Koksovna, companies owned by former Czech Interior Minister Martin Pechina. However, it is unclear whether the new investor plans to restart the blast furnace.
Vitkovice Steel, a rolled steel company, meanwhile acquired Jindal Steel, which plans to install a new electric arc furnace at the plant, which for the first time will allow it to produce slabs independently from 2015. The Czech company, however, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jindal Vulcan Green Steel, an Oman-based subsidiary, on the future supply of slabs with a volume of 1 million tons per year.
The Czech Republic was among the countries that lobbied the European Commission to maintain the EU quota for the import of slabs of Russian origin, on which the production of flat rolled products depends.
However, despite the problems in Ostrava, imports of iron ore to the Czech Republic in the first half of the year increased by 2% to 1.49 million tons.
Meanwhile, imports of rolled products to the Czech Republic decreased by 1% to 858,636 tons. Consumption of flat rolled products increased by 4% to 2.1 million tons.
As for Czech exports, shipments of long products and flat products increased by 6% and 9%, respectively, to 1.06 million tons and 498,221 tons, while exports of semi-finished products increased by 22% to 126,311 tons, despite an increase in their imports.
Adam Smith Austria
kallanish.com