According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US monthly steel imports in December 2018 decreased 20.5 percent from November to total 1,717,818 mt. A year-on-year comparison shows a 22.7 percent decrease. In terms of value, US steel imports in December totaled $1.84 billion, compared to $2.12 billion in November and $2.15 billion in December 2017.
Top sources for US steel imports in December include: Canada, with 353,174 mt; Mexico, with 272,867 mt; Germany, with 101,423 mt; Russia, with 97,897 mt; and Vietnam, with 88,328 mt.
Major steel products imported in December include blooms, billets and slab at a combined 187,780 mt; line pipe, at 183,818 mt; HDG sheets and strip, at 177,894 mt; HRC, at 166,272 mt; CRC, at 127,084 mt; and OCTG, at 120,616 mt.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the US steel import market share in December was estimated at 19 percent, compared to 21 percent in November.