Steel export to Kazakhstan — ports, documents, transit time
Kazakh buyers compare against Russian and Chinese mills; the case for Turkish supply is lead time via the Middle Corridor, EN-standard documentation accepted by EPC contractors, and no sanctions exposure. Sandwich panels for warehouses in Almaty and Astana, galvanized coil and PPGI for roofing, hollow sections for light steel buildings.
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Ports and routes
Aktau (Caspian) · Almaty and Astana by rail/truck · Khorgos
Transit time
18–25 days: truck to Baku, ferry Alat–Aktau, then rail/truck; or 25–30 days rail via Georgia
Incoterms we quote
DAP Aktau / Almaty / Astana; FCA Dilovası for the buyer's forwarder
Documents and certificates
EAC declaration or certificate (TR CU 010 / TR EAEU), certificate of origin (for CIS tariff), commercial invoice, packing list, CMR / rail waybill; GOST / ST RK equivalents stated on documents
Payment, duty and loading
- Payment: TT; USD or EUR
- EAEU import duty per HS code; 12% VAT
- Russian-language documents and RU product pages available
You are not shipping to one border, you are shipping across three
Kazakhstan is landlocked, and every route into it crosses other jurisdictions. The two that work commercially from Turkey are the Caspian crossing and the northern road route, and they behave differently enough that the choice belongs in the quotation rather than in the logistics department afterwards.
| Route | Typical transit | Suits | Main risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road via Georgia and Azerbaijan, ferry Baku–Aktau | 12–20 days | Trade parcels, mixed loads, western Kazakhstan | Ferry waiting time at Baku |
| Rail via the Middle Corridor | 15–25 days | Full loads, coil, heavy parcels | Wagon availability and transhipment |
| Sea to a Black Sea port, then rail | 20–30 days | Large tonnages to Almaty and the east | Two transhipments, more handling damage |
Quoted transit times are door to door and assume no border closure; single-day precision is not realistic on any of these routes.
EAEU customs union and what it means for a Turkish invoice
Kazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, so the common external tariff applies at the first EAEU border the goods reach — which is not always the Kazakh one. Duty, VAT treatment and technical regulation follow EAEU rules rather than national ones, and a consignment cleared into the union in one member state then moves freely inside it.
For technical documentation the reference system is GOST rather than EN. We certify to EN grades and give the GOST correspondence on the certificate — S235JR against St3sp, S355J2 against 09G2S — so the buyer's own inspection has the mapping in hand rather than having to argue it.
Winter is a specification, not a season
Northern and central Kazakhstan design to service temperatures well below −20 °C, and that changes the grade rather than the thickness. A structure specified in S235JR in Istanbul is specified in S235J2 or S355J2 in Astana, because the impact test temperature is what the design code is actually asking about.
The same applies to coatings and panels: zinc behaves well in dry cold, but a sandwich panel specified for a Gulf warehouse and one specified for a Kazakh winter differ in core, in fixing and in condensation detailing. We quote the grade and the panel build against the stated design temperature, and ask for it when it is missing.
- State the design service temperature with the enquiry; it selects the impact class.
- S355J2 rather than S355JR is the usual structural answer for the north.
- Galvanized coatings perform well in dry cold; the risk is condensation inside unheated buildings.
- Panel fixings and thermal bridging matter more than panel thickness in a continental winter.
Frequently asked questions
How is steel shipped from Turkey to Kazakhstan?
Usually by road through Georgia and Azerbaijan with a Caspian ferry from Baku to Aktau, twelve to twenty days door to door, or by rail on the Middle Corridor for full loads. Both cross several jurisdictions, so transit times are ranges rather than dates.
Do you certify to GOST standards?
We certify to EN grades and give the GOST correspondence on the certificate — S235JR against St3sp, S355J2 against 09G2S. That gives the buyer the mapping in writing without claiming a GOST certification we do not hold.
Which steel grade suits Kazakh winter conditions?
For structural work in the north, S355J2 or S235J2 rather than the JR quality: the J2 suffix means a 27 J impact test at −20 °C, which is what a design code with a low service temperature is asking for. Tell us the design temperature and we quote against it.
Does EAEU membership change the duty?
Yes — the common external tariff applies at the first EAEU border reached, not necessarily the Kazakh one, and the goods then circulate freely inside the union. Duty, import VAT and technical regulation all follow EAEU rules rather than national ones.
Products most ordered from Kazakhstan
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