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 37,311 mt in September 2019, down 25.5 percent from August but up 7.3 percent from September 2018 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $29.2 million in September 2019, compared to $36.6 million in the previous month and $26.2 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Mexico in September, with 9,893 mt, compared to 11,527 mt in August and 2,974 mt in September 2018. Other top sources of imported beams in September include Turkey, with 6,399 mt; Korea, with 5,155 mt; UAE, with 4,595 mt; and Canada, with 2,186 mt.