The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) announced Tuesday that the US imported 1,777,000 net tons (nt) of steel in February, including 1,371,000 nt of finished steel (down 16 percent and 19 percent respectively from January final data. For the month of February 2011, finished steel import market share was 18 percent.
Import of most steel products declined significantly in February; imports of hot rolled sheet were down 23.5 percent from January, while oil country goods imports fell 30.6 percent, and standard pipe imports decreased 33.4 percent.
On the other hand, compared to January 2011, imports of rebar jumped 63 percent in February and are up 79 percent year-to-date. Other major products with large year-to-date import increase versus the same period last year include oil country goods (up 90 percent) and cut-to-length plate (up 84 percent).