Total steel imports to US up 16 percent in January

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Tuesday that based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the US imported a total of 1,634,000 nt of steel in January, an increase of 16 percent from December final data. Finished steel imports totaled 1,257,000 nt, up 11 percent from December.

Total steel imports year-to-date, at 19.6 million nt, have increased 21 percent from the same time last year, while annualized finished steel imports are at 15.1 million nt, up 6 percent from 2009.

Total imports were at the highest monthly level since January 2009. Finished imports recorded their highest amount since March 2009, with a market share of approximately 18 percent last month, about 3 percentage points higher than in August 2009.

Key finished steel products with increases in January 2010 compared to December 2009 include oil country goods, up 103 percent; heavy structural shapes, up 40 percent; plates in coils, up 30 percent; and sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized, up 26 percent.

In January, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were 150,000 nt from South Korea, an increase of 45 percent; 78,000 nt from Japan, down 24 percent; 66,000 nt from China, up 40 percent; 48,000 nt from Italy, a decrease of 2 percent; and 37,000 nt from Germany, down 13 percent.