Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reports US steel imports at 2,803,858 nt (2,543,660 mt) of steel in November 2016, including 2,131,719 nt (1,933,895 mt) of finished steel (up 3.3 percent and down by 5.5 percent, respectively, compared to October final data).
Year-to-date total and finished steel imports are 30,321,340 nt (27,507,520 mt) and 24,179,253 nt (21,935,418 mt), down 16.8 percent and 17.9 percent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2015. Finished steel import market share was estimated at 26 percent in November and at 25 percent year-to-date.
The preliminary imports of Ingots and billets and slabs totaled 669,715 nt (607,565 mt) in November, significantly higher by 48 percent then October final imports of 452,513 nt (410,520 mt). Structural pipe & tubing imports totaled 54,158 nt (49,132 mt) in November, higher by 29.4 percent compared to October’s 41,869 nt (37,984 mt). Plates and coil imports were up by 25.5 percent month-on-month from 118,721 nt (107,704 mt) in October to 149,013 nt (135,185 mt) in November.
The key steel imports during the eleven-month period from January to November this year were Ingots, Billets and Slabs (6,111,197 nt or 5,544,078 mt), Sheets and Strip Galvanized Hot Dipped (2,792,178 nt or 2,533,064 mt) and Hot Rolled Sheets (2,737,000 nt or 2,483,006 mt).
For first eleven months of 2016, the largest overseas suppliers of finished steel to the US were South Korea (3,542,000 or 3,213,302 mt, down 23 percent compared to the same period in 2015), Turkey (2,259,000 nt or 2,049,365 mt, down 14 percent), Japan (1,683,000 nt or 1,526,818 mt, down 20 percent), Germany (1,105,000 nt or 1,002,456 mt, down 21 percent), Taiwan (936,000 nt or 849,139 mt, down 19 percent), Vietnam (903,000 nt or 819,202 mt, up 420 percent) and China (799,000 nt or 724,853 mt, down 64 percent).