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 29,887 mt in September 2020, up 111.2 percent from August but down 20.0 percent from September 2019 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $20.7 million in September 2020, compared to $11.9 million in the previous month and $29.5 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Mexico in September, with 12,286 mt, compared to 6,681 mt in August and 9,896 mt in September 2019. Other top sources of imported beams in September include Korea, with 10,666 mt; Canada, with 3,559 mt; and Germany, with 1,017 mt.