According to the European Steel Association (EUROFER), in December last year EU-27 flat steel imports amounted to 619,000 mt, while long steel imports totaled 175,000 mt. Accordingly, overall EU finished steel imports in December totaled 794,000 mt, down 24.23 percent month on month and down 15.17 percent compared to the same month of 2011. The figures for December are extremely depressed, similar to those witnessed in August 2009 in the middle of the global economical crisis.
EU steel imports, December 2012 |
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|
Volume (mt) |
M-o-m variation (%) |
Y-o-y variation (%) |
Flat rolled |
619,000 |
-22.43 |
-12.69 |
Long products |
175,000 |
-29.71 |
-22.9 |
TOTAL |
794,000 |
-24.23 |
-15.17 |
In the whole of 2012, flat steel imports into the EU fell to the lowest level since 2009 and were close to half the 22.919 million mt figure recorded in 2007. In particular, the long steel import figure for 2012 indicated a dramatic decline compared to the peak year of 2007, falling from 9.31 million mt to 2.756 million mt.
EU steel imports, Jan-Dec 2012 |
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|
Volume (mt) |
Y-o-y variation (%) |
Flat rolled |
10,924,000 |
-33 |
Long products |
2,756,000 |
-18 |
TOTAL |
13,698,000 |
-30.46 |
The following table shows EU steel imports in the fourth quarter of 2012:
EU steel imports, Oct-Dec 2012 |
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|
Volume (mt) |
Y-o-y variation (%) |
Flat rolled |
2,307,000 |
-15.5 |
Long products |
676,000 |
-9.38 |
TOTAL |
2,983,000 |
-13.68 |