According to final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of heavy structural shapes (including U, I, H, L, and T section beams) totaled 18,504 mt in December 2019, down 13.1 percent from November and down 42.1 percent from December 2018 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $14.2 million in December 2019, compared to $16.2 million in the previous month and $26.3 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Mexico in December, with 10,395 mt, compared to 9,427 mt in November and 5,959 mt in December 2018. Other top sources of imported beams in December include Germany, with 2,467 mt; Canada, with 2,203 mt; and Luxembourg, with 1,390 mt.