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 32,821 mt in April 2020, up 56.4 percent from March but down 2.8 percent from April 2019 levels. By value beam imports totaled $22.4 million in April 2020, compared to $16.9 million in the previous month and $22.9 million in the same month last year.
The US imported the most beams from Mexico in April, with 10,518 mt, compared to 10,920 mt in March and 7,438 mt in April 2019. Other top sources of imported beams in April include Korea, with 9,700 mt; UAE, with 4,421 mt; Canada, with 2,605 mt; and Germany, with 2,259 mt.