US Preliminary Steel Imports Dropped 23% in November

By Paul Ploumis (ScrapMonster Author)

December 29, 2015 07:49:29 AM

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that the U.S. imported a total of 2,351,000 net tons (NT) of steel in November 2015, including 1,921,000net tons (NT) of finished steel (down 22.7% and 15.6%, respectively, vs. October final data).

Year-to-date (YTD) total and finished steel imports are 36,294,000 and 29,375,000 net tons (NT), respectively, down 11% and 5% respectively, vs. the same period in 2014. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 25% in October.

Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in November compared to October cut length plates (up 42%) and oil country goods (up 12%).

The major products that recorded significant rise in import volumes year-to-date in comparison with the similar ten-month period in 2014 are reinforcing bar (up 39%), standard pipe (up 18%), line pipe (up 17%) and wire drawn (up 11%).

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In November, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (298,000NT, down 16% vs. October final), Japan (164,000 NT, up 20%), Turkey (147,000 NT, down 50%), Brazil (125,000 NT, down 13%), and Germany (86,000NT, down 8%).

The largest offshore suppliers for the initial eleven-month period of the year were South Korea (4,602,000 NT, down 9%), Turkey (2,632,000 NT, up 29%), China (2,238,000 NT, down 25%), Japan (2,113,000 NT, up 10%) and Germany (1,393,000 NT, up 25%).

Courtesy: American Iron and Steel Institute