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 34,631 mt in May 2021, down 24.8 percent from April and down 23.7 percent from May 2020 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $31.8 million in May 2021, compared to $35.6 million in April and $28.6 million in May 2020.
The US imported the most beams from Korea in May, with 11,096 mt, compared to 7,052 mt in April and 17,855 mt in May 2020. Other top sources of imported beams in May include Mexico, with 9,621 mt; Canada, with 6,551 mt; Germany, with 4,324 mt; and United Kingdom, with 1,515 mt.