According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US monthly steel imports in December 2022 increased by 8.6 percent from November to total 1,983,268 mt. A year-on-year comparison shows a 24.3 percent decrease. In terms of value, US steel imports in December totaled $2.95 billion, compared to $2.79 billion in November and $3.82 billion in December 2021.
Top sources for US steel imports in December include: Canada, with 473,230 mt; Mexico, with 376,497 mt; South Korea, with 210,566 mt; Japan, with 107,863 mt; and Germany, with 70,046 mt.
By product group, semi-finished imports totaled 293,092 mt in December, up from 214,769 mt in November but down from 565,017 mt in December 2021. Flat product imports totaled 729,599 mt in December, down from 743,291 mt in November and 1,163,324 mt in December 2021. Long product imports totaled 333,624 mt in December, down from 339,843 mt in November and 361,035 mt in December 2021. Pipe and tube imports totaled 565,091 mt in December, up from 457,469 mt in November and 426,557 mt in December 2021.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the US steel import market share in December 2022 was estimated at 23 percent, compared to 22 percent in November and 24 percent for the full-year 2022.