The American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) reported Friday that compared to January 2012, steel exports fell 4 percent in February. Still, steel exports increased 23 percent in the first two months of 2012 compared to 2011.
Total steel exports in February 2012 were 1.2 million tons compared to 1.3 million tons in January 2012, a 4 percent decrease, and a 27.3 percent increase compared to February 2011. According to year-to-date figures, exports increased 23 percent compared to 2011 or from 2 million tons in 2011 to 2.5 million tons in 2012.
Dave Phelps, president of AIIS, noted that while several countries such as Brazil and Venezuela substantially increased their imports of US steel in February, "major export markets registered declines on a month to month basis. Exports to NAFTA and on the whole the rest of the Western Hemisphere and Asia all showed declines. Following the small decline in December to January, it can be speculated that improved US market conditions during the first quarter kept more steel at home in February too, but we will see if this trend continues as we move through 2012."