According to delayed final census data from the US Department of Commerce, US monthly steel imports in January 2019 increased 83.7 percent from December 2018 to total 3,155,977 mt. A year-on-year comparison shows a 20.8 percent increase. In terms of value, US steel imports in January totaled $2.88 billion, compared to $1.84 billion in December and $2.45 billion in January 2018.
Top sources for US steel imports in January include: Brazil, with 769,498 mt; Canada, with 409,237 mt; Mexico, with 330,520 mt; Korea, with 327,335 mt; and Russia, with 129,328 mt.
Major steel products imported in January include blooms, billets and slab at a combined 924,479 mt; OCTG, at 299,790 mt; line pipe, at 296,048 mt; HDG sheets and strip, at 246,498 mt; HRC, at 185,660 mt; and CRC, at 139,318 mt.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the US steel import market share in January 2019 was estimated at 25 percent, compared to 19 percent in December.