According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US imports of heavy structural shapes (including U, I, H, L, and T section beams) totaled 33,765 mt in April 2019, down 26.3 percent from March and down 63.3 percent from April 2018 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $50.8 million in April 2018, compared to $37.3 million in the previous month and $60.6 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Luxembourg in April, with 11,236 mt, compared to 15,907 mt in March and 9,113 mt in April 2018. Other top sources of imported beams in April include Mexico, with 7,438 mt; UAE, with 6,709 mt; Canada, with 2,409 mt; and United Kingdom, with 1,632 mt.