The American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) announced Monday that US exports increased by 3.2 percent in September compared to August according to government data. "Exports to our NAFTA partners were flat in September compared to August while exports to non-NAFTA Western Hemisphere and Asia increased at a healthy pace, up 5.6 percent and 14.5 percent respectively," said David Phelps, president, AIIS.
"Year to date exports have increased by 40.9 percent over 2009, reflecting primarily a strong recovery in the NAFTA region, with exports up by 51.4 percent for the year. While NAFTA is the most important market on a tonnage basis, exports to other markets have increased at healthy rates, with Europe up by 159.5 percent, and non-NAFTA Western Hemisphere 50.6 percent" concluded Phelps.
Exports to Canada totaled 539,890 nt in September, up 2.6 percent from August, and a 6.7 percent increase over September of 2009. On the other hand, exports to Mexico were 216,724 nt in September, a 6.1 percent drop over August, but still 23.7 percent higher than the same month last year.
Total steel exports in September 2010 were 988,277 net tons (nt) compared to 957,289 net tons (nt) in August 2010, a 3.2 percent increase, and a 0.2 percent decrease compared to September 2009. According to year-to-date figures, exports increased 40.9 percent compared to 2009 or from 6.4 million nt in 2009 to 9.1 million nt in 2010.