According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US monthly steel imports in February 2019 decreased 30.1 percent from January to total 2,205,027 mt. A year-on-year comparison shows a 1.9 percent decrease. In terms of value, US steel imports in February totaled $2.01 billion, compared to $2.88 billion in January and $2.22 billion in February 2018.
Top sources for US steel imports in February include: Brazil, with 471,683 mt; Canada, with 395,772 mt; Mexico, with 203,505 mt; Korea, with 169,851 mt; and Japan, with 112,486 mt.
Major steel products imported in February include blooms, billets and slab at a combined 616,160 mt; line pipe, at 193,207 mt; HDG sheets and strip, at 179,438 mt; OCTG, at 174,806 mt; HRC, at 133,382 mt; and CRC, at 105,606 mt.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the US steel import market share in February 2019 was estimated at 20 percent, compared to 25 percent in January, and 22 percent year-to-date for the first two months of 2019.