Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the US imported a total of 3,635,000 net tons (nt) of steel in November, including 2,878,000 net tons (nt) of finished steel (down 18.2 percent and 16.3 percent, respectively, vs. October final data). Year-to-date (YTD) total and finished steel imports are 40,641,000 and 30,733,000 net tons (nt), respectively, up 37 percent and 34 percent respectively, vs. 2013. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2014 would be 44.3 and 33.5 million nt, up 38 percent and 35 percent respectively vs. 2013. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 29 percent in November and is estimated at 28 percent YTD.
Major products with significant YTD import increases vs. the same period last year include plates in coils (up 87 percent), cold rolled sheets (up 85 percent), wire rods (up 82 percent), cut lengths plates (up 75 percent), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 59 percent), heavy structural shapes (up 58 percent), hot rolled sheets (up 47 percent), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 43 percent), tin plate (up 29 percent), mechanical tubing (up 28 percent), oil country goods (up 19 percent) and reinforcing bars (up 17 percent).
In November, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were all from South Korea (467,000 nt, down 15 percent vs. October final), China (253,000 nt, down 31 percent), Turkey (184,000 nt, down 47 percent) Japan (147,000 nt, down 38 percent) and Taiwan (120,000 nt, up 2 percent). For 11 months of 2014, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (5,030,000 nt, up 47 percent), China (2,964,000 nt, up 69 percent), Turkey (2,011,000 nt, up 74 percent), Japan (1,915,000 nt, up 10 percent) and Russia (1,237,000 nt, up 468 percent).