Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that during the month of March 2007, overall steel imports to the US totaled 2,989,000 net tons (nt), an increase of 14 percent from February 2007 levels. Finished steel imports totaled 2,455,000 nt in March, up 12 percent from February. However, March '07 import levels were down when compared to the same month of the previous year, with finished steel imports registering a 19.5 percent decrease from March 2006.
The increase of steel imports in March 2007 as compared to the previous month was largely due to an increase in imports of the following products: cut-length plates (up 52 percent), standard pipe (up 45 percent), tin plate (up 40 percent), structural pipe and tubing (up 40 percent), wire rods (up 31 percent), hot rolled bars (up 24 percent), hot rolled sheets (up 23 percent) and hot dip galvanized sheets and strip (up 19 percent).
AISI said that the largest volumes of finished steel imports in March came from China with 377,000 nt, the European Union-27 with 299,000 nt, and from South Korea with 198,000 nt. March was the tenth consecutive month in which China was the first or second largest foreign supplier of steel to the US.