STEEL IMPORTS HEADLINESSteel Imports
Preliminary Steel Imports Increase 16% in January
Feb. 24, 2010 The U.S. imported a total of 1,634,000 net tons of steel in January, up 16% vs. December final data according to the latest report from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI).
The report, which is based on preliminary Census Bureau data, shows that the January total included 1,257,000 net tons of finished steel, up 11% vs. December final data).
On an annualized basis, total steel imports in 2010 would be 19.6 million net tons, up 21% vs. 2009, while finished steel imports would be 15.1 million net tons, up 6% vs. 2009. Total imports were the highest monthly amount since January 2009, while finished imports were the highest amount since March of 2009. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 18% in January, which is around 3 percentage points higher than in August 2009.
Key finished steel products with increases in January 2010 compared to December include
- Oil country goods, +103%
- Heavy structural shapes, +40%
- Plates in coils, +30%
- Hot dip galvanized sheets & strip, +26%
In January, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (150,000 net tons, up 45%), Japan (78,000 net tons, down 24%), China (66,000 net tons, up 40%), Italy (48,000 net tons, down 2%) and Germany (37,000 net tons, down 13%).
AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the preferred material of choice. AISI also plays a lead role in the development and application of new steels and steelmaking technology. The Institute comprises 24 member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers, and 138 associate and affiliate members who are suppliers to or customers of the steel industry.