Ukrainian steel is no longer flooding Poland, and orders have started flowing the other way. But the tragic reason behind the shift clouds the mood among Polish steelworkers, according to Thursday’s Puls Biznesu, a Polish business daily.
As “PB” reports, “representatives of Polish steel mills warned not long ago that a wave of Ukrainian steel was flooding our market.” The increase was especially pronounced in deliveries of rebar for construction.
In 2022, fewer than 10,000 metric tons of rebar came in. From August 2024 to July 2025, more than 140,000 metric tons of these products arrived in Poland from Ukraine. “Now the trend has reversed,” the paper writes.
“Polish mills have begun exporting rebar to the Ukrainian market. So far only the first, small shipments have gone out, but we are receiving a great many inquiries and requests for commercial offers,” said Przemysław Sztuczkowski, CEO of the Cognor Group.
The change in direction “evokes mixed feelings among Polish producers” because it results from the destruction of Ukrainian steel plants by the Russians. Ukraine has to rely on imports because it has lost about 60% of its prewar production capacity.
According to PUDS data, rebar prices have risen after several years of stagnation and now range from PLN 2,860 to PLN 2,990. If the trend continues, they will break through the PLN 3,000-per-ton mark.
The head of the Cognor Group told “PB” he hopes the higher steel prices will hold not only because of growing orders from Ukraine but, above all, thanks to domestic demand. He also expects construction projects to get under way in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Damian Kaźmierczak, vice president of the Polish Association of Construction Employers, forecasts that Ukraine’s reconstruction will open up new export opportunities for Polish steelmakers. At the same time, he said, rising demand for steel could push prices up and limit availability on the Polish market.
Source: PAP
