John Cross, VP at the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), stated in a recent presentation that AISC forecasts US consumption of structural steel at 8.95 million mt in 2018 and a slight decline to 8.90 million mt in 2019. He attributed the decline to normal cyclical effects as well as a slight downward factor resulting from market uncertainty on the effects of the recent Section 232 tariff ruling on steel and aluminum imports which has construction “pulling back in times of uncertainty.” He added that imported fabricated steel, which is not addressed by the steel tariff rules established by Section 232, is a “wild card” in regards the overall effect in the industry at the moment since high price movements in domestic material may elevate their use by some buyers in construction.