According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US monthly steel imports in January 2018 increased 17.3 percent from December (census data) to total 2,608,340 mt. A year-on-year comparison shows a 2.2 percent increase. In terms of value, US steel imports in January totaled $2.45 billion, compared to $2.15 billion in December and $1.99 billion in January 2017.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the finished steel import market share was an estimated 26 percent in January.
Top sources for US steel imports in January include: Canada, with 506,322 mt; Brazil, with 337,466 mt; Korea, with 307,475 mt; Mexico, with 301,594 mt; and Russia, with 137,320 mt.
Major steel products imported in January include blooms, billets and slab at a combined 476,602 mt; OCTG, at 334,820 mt; HDG sheets and strip, at 201,337 mt; HRC, at 176,154 mt; line pipe, at 175,894 mt; and CRC, at 144,777 mt.