Metal Expo 2024

What Is Metal Expo 2024?

Organised by Sky Fair Organization, Metal Expo 2024 took place on 11–14 September 2024 in Halls 1, 2 and 3 of the Istanbul Expo Center. Bringing together companies that produce goods and services across every segment of the iron and steel industry, the fair was held under the supervision of TOBB and as a member of UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry).

Known as Metal Expo Eurasia Istanbul, the event expanded its floor capacity 1.5 times compared to the previous edition in 2024. This growth was a concrete sign of the fair’s steadily increasing international weight. Metal Expo 2024 became a meeting point not only for domestic players but also for industry representatives from 105 countries.

Metal Expo 2024 in Numbers

A total of 14,712 industry representatives from Türkiye and abroad visited the fair. While most visitors came from within Türkiye, international participation reinforced the fair’s global standing.

Visitor category	Number	Scope
Total visitors	14,712	Domestic + international
International visitors	2,259	105 countries
Domestic visitors	12,453	63 provinces

India and Iran led the international visitor list — a reflection of the Turkish steel ecosystem’s deepening ties with Asia and the Middle East.

Top visiting countries	Visitors
India	239
Iran	90
Nigeria	60
Germany	48
China	45
Ghana	34
Iraq	27
Russia	24
Bulgaria	18
Kenya	16

Domestically, Istanbul was followed by Kocaeli, Bursa and Ankara as the provinces with the highest visitor numbers. This distribution once again highlighted the central role of the Marmara industrial basin in iron and steel demand.

What Were Visitors Looking For?

Product interest among Metal Expo 2024 visitors offered a clear read on the market’s pulse. Stainless steel and flat products led the way, with construction steels and steel service centres also ranking high.

Product / service sought	Share
Stainless steel	17.28%
Flat products	14.25%
Steel service centres	11.25%
Galvanised steel	10.45%
Construction steels	10.21%
Mould steels	9.60%
Tool steels	8.20%
Structural steel	7.60%
Heat treatment	6.30%
Metalworking machinery	4.86%

Strong interest in flat products and construction steels reflected both the recovery in export markets and robust domestic construction demand. The picture also showed how broad the range of iron, steel and metal products manufactured in Türkiye has become.

The Turkish Steel Industry in 2024

Metal Expo 2024 took place at a critical transition point for the Turkish steel industry. 2023 had been a difficult year: the sector became a net importer for the first time since 2015, and exports fell by roughly 30% in value. Shrinking demand in Europe, protectionist measures, rising Chinese competition and the impact of the 6 February earthquakes on production were the main factors behind this picture.

The first half of 2024, however, brought a clear recovery. Accelerating post-earthquake reconstruction kept domestic demand strong, while Türkiye’s crude steel output rose 4.3% year on year to 3.1 million tonnes in June 2024, keeping the country in its position as the world’s eighth-largest crude steel producer. The export-to-import coverage ratio also improved over the first six months. The fair’s strong turnout in September 2024 matched this recovery momentum.

International Resonance and Global Competition

The fair’s international profile mirrored the balance of the global steel market. At the centre of the global agenda were China’s overcapacity and its aggressive exports to world markets, which put pressure on prices and challenged all exporters. Meanwhile, EU quotas and safeguard measures, additional US tariffs and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), due to take full effect in 2026, made strategic planning essential for Turkish exporters.

In the same period, North African countries such as Egypt and Algeria becoming net exporters intensified competition in traditional markets. The strong interest in Metal Expo 2024 from India, Iran, Nigeria and many other African countries showed that the Turkish steel ecosystem was extending its centre of gravity towards Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In this sense, the fair served not only as a trade platform but also as an observatory for reading the changing map of global trade routes.

Çakıroğlu Metal at Metal Expo 2024

Active in iron and steel trading and distribution since 1969, Çakıroğlu Metal took its place among the exhibitors at Metal Expo 2024 in Hall 2 (2A-7 / 2B-8). With our wide stock range across long products, flat products, sections and steel mesh, the fair gave us the opportunity to connect directly with international buyers as well as our domestic business partners, and proved a productive platform for sharing our strong supply network with the industry.

Conclusion

Metal Expo 2024 made visible the recovery momentum the Turkish iron and steel industry gained after a challenging 2023. Bringing together 14,712 visitors from 105 countries, the fair reflected both strong domestic construction demand and a trade geography expanding towards Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Even in the shadow of global risks such as Chinese supply pressure and rising protectionism, the fair’s growing scale demonstrated the industry’s forward-looking confidence. For companies working with the right product range and uninterrupted supply discipline, this picture will retain its value in the period ahead.

Snapshots from the Fair