Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Thursday that the US imported a total of 2,659,000 net tons (nt) of steel in November, including 1,988,000 nt of finished steel (up 2 percent and down 6 percent, respectively, from October final data). Year-to-date finished steel imports are up 18 percent the same period in 2011. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2012 would be 33.8 and 26.2 million nt, up 18 percent and 20 percent, each, respectively compared to 2011. Finished steel import market share in November was an estimated 24 percent and is estimated at 24 percent year-to-date.
Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in November 2012 compared to October are rebar (up 60 percent); sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 43 percent); cold rolled sheets (up 28 percent) and plates in coils (up 20 percent). Major products with significant year-to-date import increases versus the same period last year include rebar (up 57 percent); line pipe (up 40 percent); sheets & strip galvanized hot dipped (up 38 percent); oil country goods (up 27 percent); sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 24 percent) and cut lengths plates (up 22 percent).
In November, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were all from Asia and Europe. They were South Korea (286,000 nt and down 25 percent); China (145,000 nt and up 10 percent); Japan (143,000 nt and down 21 percent); Turkey (108,000 nt and up 54 percent) and Germany (101,000 nt and down 17 percent). For the first 11 months of 2012, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (3,478,000 nt and up 32 percent); Japan (1,844,000 nt and up 37 percent); China (1,469,000 nt and up 28 percent); Turkey (1,294,000 nt and up 99 percent) and Germany (1,153,000 nt and up 33 percent).