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 20,988 mt in March 2020, down 63.8 percent from February and down 54.2 percent from March 2019 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $16.9 million in March 2020, compared to $33.8 million in the previous month and $32.8 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Mexico in March, with 10,920 mt, compared to 13,550 mt in February and 6,005 mt in March 2019. Other top sources of imported beams in March include Canada, with 3,764 mt; Germany, with 2,972 mt; and United Kingdom, with 1,173 mt.