Steel imports to the US rose 41 percent in 2006

The American Iron and Steel Insitute (AISI) reported on January 30 that the US imported a total of 45.3 million nt of steel in 2006, including 35.9 million nt of finished products, up 41 and 43 percent respectively, compared to 2005. In December 2006, the US imported a total of 2,988,000 net tons (nt) of steel, down 13 percent from November 2006. This total included 2,452,000 nt of finished steel, down 12 percent month on month. AISI reported that products with large increases in December 2006 compared to the previous month included heavy structural shapes (up 72 percent), bars-light shapes (up 30 percent) and tin plate (up 11 percent). Finished steel imports from Asia were up 95 percent from 2005, with significant year-on-year increases from Taiwan (up 208 percent), Malaysia (up 158 percent), China (up 133 percent), Thailand (up 111 percent), India (up 74 percent), South Korea (up 55 percent), and Japan (up 23 percent). There were also notable increases from Russia (up 114 percent) and Turkey (up 77 percent). In 2006, China remained the single largest source of finished steel imports into the US, with a total of 5.4 million nt.