London, December 15th (Argus) - Customs data shows that the import volume of ferromolybdenum by EU countries decreased in the first nine months of 2025. The main reason was the reduction in delivery volume in the third quarter, as the steel industry was still under pressure and rising raw material costs prompted buyers to postpone large orders.
Customs data shows that in the first nine months of this year, EU countries imported 45,899 tons of ferromolybdenum, a 1.7% decrease. This decline was due to weak demand activity in the third quarter, with the total import volume in the third quarter being 13,644 tons, a 7.8% decrease compared to the second quarter and a 20.7% decrease compared to the previous quarter.
This decline was mainly due to the weak demand in the steel industry, which reduced the demand for alloy raw materials such as ferromolybdenum. The European Steel Association (Eurofer) stated that the steel industry has been under pressure in 2025 due to tariff uncertainty, a weak manufacturing environment, and geopolitical tensions. In addition, rising costs and tight raw material supply have reduced the number of large import orders.
The Netherlands remains the largest importer in the EU, with an import volume of 15,696 tons in the first nine months of this year, a 0.6% increase.
Due to the year-on-year decline in each quarter, the delivery volume to the second-largest importer in Europe, Germany, decreased by 16.1% to 7,198 tons. Exports to Italy decreased by 12.8% to 6,013 tons.
Belgium, Sweden, Spain, and France increased by 12.7%, 18.6%, 16.9%, and 17.6% respectively during this period.
In the first nine months of this year, South Korea remained the largest exporter of ferromolybdenum to EU countries, with an export volume of 9,627 tons, a 7.1% decrease. Belgium, the second-largest exporter, increased by 9.8% to 9,292 tons.
The third and fourth largest suppliers, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, saw their exports decline by 13.2% and 16.2% respectively.
