Year to date · January–August 2026
10.7 million tonnes
August 2026 only
1.04 million tonnes
Full year 2025
15.9 million tonnes
Share of all cargo
2.9%
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 10.7 million tonnes of steel products in the year to August 2026, 2% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 1.04 million tonnes, 9.5% less than in August 2025.
By type of cargo, 97.5% travelled as general cargo and 2.5% as dry bulk. The item accounts for 2.9% of all cargo passing through Spanish ports in that period.
In 2025, the latest year with a breakdown by port, traffic in steel products came to 15.9 million tonnes, 2.5% less than in 2024: 9.83 million tonnes unloaded and 6.07 million tonnes loaded. Foreign trade accounted for 95.8% and the rest was coastal shipping between Spanish ports. 28 of the 28 port authorities recorded movements of this commodity.
Valencia ranks first among port authorities with 3.71 million tonnes in 2025 (9.5% less than in 2024). It is followed by Bilbao (2.4 million) and Pasaia (1.76 million). Together, the three account for 49.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (+37.7%), Cartagena (+28.7%) and Vigo (+23.1%); the steepest falls by Las Palmas (−21.2%), Santander (−18.6%) and A Coruña (−13.0%). The comparison is limited to port authorities that account for at least 1% of the total, so that an extreme swing at a small player does not distort the picture.
The rest of the top ten are Bahía de Algeciras (4th, 1.57 million, +8.5%), Barcelona (5th, 1.39 million, +0.6%), Tarragona (6th, 824,184 tonnes, +17.0%), Avilés (7th, 811,251 tonnes, −3.5%), Gijón (8th, 692,893 tonnes, −12.8%), A Coruña (9th, 385,652 tonnes, −13.0%) and Las Palmas (10th, 380,088 tonnes, −21.2%).
At the bottom of the table are Motril (9,519 tonnes), Melilla (2,352 tonnes) and Ceuta (1,829 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 68.1% of the total and 8 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 12.4%. 17 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2024, 9 of them by double digits, and 11 fell.
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 5 are above the same month of 2025 and 3 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is down 4.3% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in April (up 17.7%); the highest point in the series was March, at 1.56 M, and the lowest August, at 1.04 M.
Between 2011 and 2025 the figure went from 14.8 M to 15.9 M, an increase of 7.5% over 14 years (+0.5% a year on average). The best year was 2018 (18.8 M) and the worst 2013 (13.1 M).
Top 10 · Steel products by port authority · 2025
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025
Annual series · steel products
Full table · 28 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Total 2025 | Change on 2024 | Unloaded | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia | 3.71 M | −9.5% | 2.55 M | 23.3% | Port |
| 2 | Bilbao | 2.4 M | +0.3% | 1.87 M | 15.1% | Port |
| 3 | Pasaia | 1.76 M | +0.8% | 1.09 M | 11.1% | Port |
| 4 | Bahía de Algeciras | 1.57 M | +8.5% | 744,592 | 9.8% | Port |
| 5 | Barcelona | 1.39 M | +0.6% | 930,518 | 8.7% | Port |
| 6 | Tarragona | 824,184 | +17.0% | 415,993 | 5.2% | Port |
| 7 | Avilés | 811,251 | −3.5% | 116,201 | 5.1% | Port |
| 8 | Gijón | 692,893 | −12.8% | 306,973 | 4.4% | Port |
| 9 | A Coruña | 385,652 | −13.0% | 329,503 | 2.4% | Port |
| 10 | Las Palmas | 380,088 | −21.2% | 223,940 | 2.4% | Port |
| 11 | Santander | 348,711 | −18.6% | 146,459 | 2.2% | Port |
| 12 | Sevilla | 314,500 | +6.4% | 128,582 | 2.0% | Port |
| 13 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 283,750 | +37.7% | 282,044 | 1.8% | Port |
| 14 | Cartagena | 183,180 | +28.7% | 167,323 | 1.2% | Port |
| 15 | Vigo | 182,687 | +23.1% | 162,838 | 1.1% | Port |
| 16 | Huelva | 118,653 | −15.0% | 90,559 | 0.7% | Port |
| 17 | Málaga | 113,429 | +60.1% | 62,172 | 0.7% | Port |
| 18 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 95,045 | +7.2% | 72,152 | 0.6% | Port |
| 19 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 91,030 | −41.8% | 5,291 | 0.6% | Port |
| 20 | Almería | 60,328 | −40.9% | 31,616 | 0.4% | Port |
| 21 | Baleares | 53,713 | −35.3% | 44,936 | 0.3% | Port |
| 22 | Bahía de Cádiz | 44,349 | +34.5% | 14,822 | 0.3% | Port |
| 23 | Alicante | 31,937 | +6.1% | 6,879 | 0.2% | Port |
| 24 | Castellón | 25,084 | +4.8% | 20,451 | 0.2% | Port |
| 25 | Vilagarcía | 17,674 | +29.4% | 2,941 | 0.1% | Port |
| 26 | Motril | 9,519 | +68.7% | 3,349 | 0.1% | Port |
| 27 | Melilla | 2,352 | −26.8% | 2,144 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Ceuta | 1,829 | +33.5% | 1,650 | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Coils, plates, sections, tubes and other steel products, loaded as conventional general cargo or in containers. Puertos del Estado publishes every month the tonnes of this commodity loaded, unloaded or in transit across all ports of general interest, as a cumulative figure since January, and once a year the breakdown by port authority. Figures for the current year are provisional until the yearbook is published.
Context
The traffic reflects the steel industry of northern Spain and the Mediterranean coast: Bilbao, Avilés, Gijón, Pasaia and Santander on one side, and Sagunto, Castellón, Barcelona and Tarragona on the other, plus stainless steel exports from Bahía de Algeciras.
Frequently asked questions
How many tonnes of steel products have Spanish ports handled this year?
10.7 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 2% more than in the same period of 2025.
Which Spanish port handles the most steel products?
Valencia, with 3.71 million tonnes in 2025, 23.3% of the total.
How is this commodity carried: in bulk or as general cargo?
By type of cargo, 97.5% travelled as general cargo and 2.5% as dry bulk in the year to August 2026.
When is this data updated?
Puertos del Estado publishes the data every month. Latest data available: August 2026.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · cargo by commodity, annual series or see the original source.