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 18,545 mt in December 2020, down 28.4 percent from November and down 0.3 percent from December 2019 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $15.5 million in December 2020, compared to $19.5 million in the previous month and $14.8 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Mexico in December, with 10,309 mt, compared to 9,448 mt in November and 10,395 mt in December 2019. Other top sources of imported beams in December include Canada, with 3,457 mt; Germany, with 2,302 mt; and United Kingdom, with 1,239 mt.