Foreign trade
In 2011, Sweden’s export of finished steel, including blooms and billets, amounted to just over SEK 56 billion (excluding the engineering products the steel plants manufacture), whereas the value of steel imports was
SEK 38 billion. The considerable trade surplus in steel is due to Sweden, to a large extent, exporting high-performance steel and mainly importing standard products.
Swedish trade of finished steel, thousand metric tonnes
(including ingots and semis)
E x p o r t s I m p o r t s
| |
2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
2012/11 |
2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
2012/11 |
|
| Jan | 278.6 | 329.6 | 319.7 | -3.0 |
236.4 | 299.8 |
259.6 | -13.4 | |
| Feb | 281.1 | 336.7 | 353.8 | 5.1 |
245.6 | 308.2 | 321.0 | 4.1 |
|
| Mar | 375.0 | 389.7 | 315.0 | 376.5 | |||||
| Apr | 327.7 | 343.9 | 290.4 | 341.7 | |||||
| May | 341.9 | 367.1 | 309.4 | 373.8 | |||||
| Jun | 335.0 | 311.0 | 362.1 | 320.8 | |||||
| Jul | 243.1 | 255.6 | 202.6 | 208.1 | |||||
| Aug | 239.5 | 251.5 | 306.4 | 311.3 | |||||
| Sep | 346.8 | 361.7 | 329.1 | 363.6 | |||||
| Oct | 346.3 | 331.5 | 319.8 | 328.1 | |||||
| Nov | 321.7 | 333.8 |
311.5 | 314.1 |
|||||
| Dec | 288.5 | 273.9 | 244.3 | 238.3 | |||||
| 2 months | 559.7 | 666.3 | 673.5 | 1.1 | 482.0 | 608.1 | 580.6 | -4.5 | |
| Q1 | 934.7 | 1,056.0 | 796.9 | 984.7 | |||||
| Q2 | 1,004.6 | 1,022.0 | 962.0 |
1,036.1 | |||||
| Q3 | 829.5 | 868.9 | 838.1 | 883.0 | |||||
| Q4 | 956.4 | 939.2 | 875.6 | 880.6 | |||||
| Year | 3,725.3 | 3,886.0 | 3,472.6 | 3,784.4 |
The export of steel comprises about 4.6% of Sweden’s total exports of goods that in 2011 amounted to SEK 1,213 billion. The figure below shows how the trade balance has developed measured in value over the last 30 years.

In terms of weight, however, the state of affairs is rather different. Sweden exports nearly 4 million tonnes of finished steel products and imports roughly an equivalent amount. The figure below shows how the trade balance has developed in terms of tonnage over the last 30 years.

Swedish steel exports go to more than 150 countries (2010). However, easily the largest export market comprises the EU countries. Outside Europe, the USA is an important market as is China which in recent years has imported ever more steel from Sweden.

More than 90% of the steel that Sweden imports comes from other European countries.

Contacts
Jenni Ranhagen
tel +46 8 679 17 52
mobile +46 70 679 17 52
jenni.ranhagen@jernkontoret.se
Mathias Ternell
tel +46 8 679 17 20
mobile +46 70 257 41 41
mathias.ternell@jernkontoret.se