According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US monthly steel imports in December 2021 decreased 8.3 percent from November to total 2,621,183 mt. A year-on-year comparison shows a 93.1 percent increase. In terms of value, US steel imports in December totaled $3.82 billion, compared to $3.67 billion in November and $1.29 billion in December 2020.
Top sources for US steel imports in December include: Canada, with 507,146 mt; Mexico, with 501,839 mt; Brazil, with 230,078 mt; Korea, with 220,002 mt; and Vietnam, with 149,602 mt.
By product group, semi-finished imports totaled 565,017 mt in December, up from 500,638 mt in November and 128,875 mt in December 2020. Flat product imports totaled 1,164,222 mt in December, down from 1,393,532 mt in November but up from 663,816 mt in December 2020. Long product imports totaled 360,996 mt in December, down from 493,126 mt in November but up from 258,960 mt in December 2020. Pipe and tube imports totaled 426,557 mt in December, up from 385,068 mt in November and 252,567 mt in December 2020.