South Africa's primary carbon and alloy steel product imports (excluding semi-finished steel, stainless steel and drawn wire) amounted to 58,107 mt in December last year, decreasing by 52.8 percent compared to November and down 0.9 percent from December 2012, according to the customs and excise data released by the South African Iron and Steel Institute (SAISI).
The country's primary carbon and alloy steel product imports during the whole of last year amounted to 1.34 million mt, increasing by 59.4 percent from 839,980 mt in 2012. Of these imports, 1.06 million mt consisted of flat steel products, up 70.82 percent, while 280,100 mt consisted of profile steel products, up 27.26 percent, both compared to 2012.