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 33,194 mt in December 2022, down 38.1 percent from November and down 13.1 percent from December 2021 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $43.1 million in December 2022, compared to $69.2 million in November and $47.9 million in December 2021.
The US imported the most beam from Canada in December, with 7,539 mt, compared to 8,999 mt in November and 6,029 mt in December 2021. Other top sources of imported beam in December include South Korea, with 7,212 mt; Mexico, with 6,714 mt; Spain, with 4,456 mt; and United Kingdom, with 2,868 mt.