Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Tuesday that the US imported a total of 1,396,000 net tons of steel in December 2009, including 1,119,000 nt of finished steel, an increase of one percent and 11 percent respectively, versus November final data. Total and finished steel imports for full year 2009 were 16,200,000 nt and 14,200,000 nt respectively, down 49 and 45 percent compared to 2008.
AISI also commented that in a domestic steel market that remains severely depressed, finished steel import market share was an estimated 17 percent in December and an estimated 22 percent for the year as a whole, down only slightly from 2008 (24 percent) and the same as in 2007. Nevertheless, the data shows that import tonnage totals for every major steel product category decreased in 2009 compared to 2008, except for tin plate imports, which rose 0.6 percent in 2009. Semifinished steel (ingots, billets and slabs) imports showed the steepest year-over-year decline, falling 66.1 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, followed by oil country tubular goods (-59.7 percent) and steel plate (-57.1 percent).