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 42,939 mt in September 2023, down 22.6 percent from August and down 5.1 percent from September 2022 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $45.9 million in September 2023, compared to $59.4 million in August and $61.3 million in September 2022.
The US imported the most beams from South Korea in September, with 12,066 mt, compared to 13,386 mt in August and 11,055 in September 2022. Other top sources of imported beams in September include Mexico, with 11,203 mt; Canada, with 9,533 mt; Germany, with 4,577 mt; and Luxembourg, with 2,432 mt.