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 45,321 mt in May 2020, up 38.1 percent from April but down 32.7 percent from May 2019 levels. By value, beam imports totaled $28.3 million in May 2020, compared to $22.4 million in the previous month and $48.2 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Korea in May, with 17,855 mt, compared to 9,700 mt in April and 30,734 mt in May 2019. Other top sources of imported beams in May include UAE, with 10,519 mt; Mexico, with 9,791 mt; Germany, with 2,888 mt; and Canada, with 1,896 mt.