UNITED STATES December 29 2016 4:43 PM

NEW YORK (Scrap Register): United States total steel imports gained by 3.3 percent month-on-month to 2,804,000 net tons during the month of November this year, which includes a drop of 5.5 percent in finished steel imports of 2,132 ,000 net tons, based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Year -to-date (YTD) through eleven months of 2016, total and finished steel imports are 30 ,321,000 and 24 ,179,000 net tons (NT), down 16.8 % and 17.9%, respectively vs. the same period in 2015.

Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2016 would be 33.1 and 26.4 million NT, down 14.7% and 16.2,respectively, vs. 2015. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 26% in July and is estimated at 25% YTD.

Key  finished steel product s with a significant import increase in November compared to October include strutural pipe and tubing (up 29%), plates in coils (up 26%) and reinforcing bars (up 17%).