According to preliminary census data from the US Department of Commerce, US monthly steel imports in January 2020 increased 99.3 percent from December to total 2,844,064 mt. A year-on-year comparison shows a 9.9 percent decrease. In terms of value, US steel imports in January totaled $2.13 billion, compared to $1.41 billion in December and $2.89 billion in January 2019.
Top sources for US steel imports in January include: Brazil, with 1,135,753 mt; Canada, with 517,806 mt; Mexico, with 328,291 mt; Korea, with 165,102 mt; and Russia, with 115,313 mt.
Major steel products imported in January include blooms, billets and slab, at 1,356,573 mt; hot dipped galvanized sheets and strip, at 224,101 mt; HRC, at 156,136 mt; OCTG, at 112,831 mt; CRC, at 112,340 mt; and rebar, at 96,726 mt.
According to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the US steel import market share in January 2020 was estimated at 17 percent, compared to 15 percent in December.