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 25,912 mt in November 2020, down 41.3 percent from October but up 21.6 percent from November 2019 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $19.5 million in November 2020, compared to $27.9 million in the previous month and $16.3 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Mexico in November, with 9,448 mt, compared to 12,657 mt in October and 9,427 mt in November 2019. Other top sources of imported beam in November include Canada, with 5,283 mt; UAE, with 3,893 mt; Korea, with 3,081 mt; and Germany, with 2,167 mt.