Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction has enacted a temporary six-month ban on the export of semi-finished products made of iron or non-alloy steel, effective July 26, 2025, according to local media reports.
The decision is aimed at boosting domestic processing capacity and encouraging the production of higher value-added steel products within the country.
Exports under customs code 7203—which includes direct reduced iron (DRI), sponge iron, and iron pellets—are exempt from the ban.
In the period from January to July 2025, Kazakhstan exported 97,224 metric tons of billet and bloom, highlighting the scale of semi-finished product outflows that the government now seeks to curtail.
The move reflects a broader trend among steel-producing nations to retain key raw materials for domestic industrial development.
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