According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US steel imports for the full year 2019 totaled 25,272,496 mt, down 17.3 percent compared to full-year 2018 steel imports totaling 30,573,528 mt. By value, US steel imports in 2019 totaled $23.6 billion, compared to $29.3 billion in 2018.
Top sources for US steel imports in 2019 include Canada, with 5,025,478 mt; Mexico, with 3,331,951 mt; Brazil, with 3,829,674 mt; Korea, with 2,336,473 mt; and Japan, with 1,135,950 mt.
Major steel products imported in 2019 include billets and slab, at 6,099,155 mt; HRC, at 1,700,799 mt; hot dipped galvanized sheets and strip, at 2,210,629 mt; CRC, at 1,365,685 mt; OCTG, at 2,102,446 mt; and line pipe, at 1,647,808 mt.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the US steel import market share in 2019 was estimated at 19 percent, compared to 23 percent in 2018.