[Ferro-Alloys.com] Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)reported today that the U.S. imported a total of 3,028,000 net tons (NT) of steel in July 2019, including 1,843,000 net tons (NT) of finished steel (up 48.3% and 6.6%, respectively, vs. June final data). Through the first seven months of 2019, total and finished steel imports are 18,666,000 and 13,536,000 net tons (NT), down 10.6% and 16.4%, respectively, vs. the same period in 2018. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2019 would be 32.0 and 23.2 million NT, down 5.1% and 9.7%, respectively, vs. 2018. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 19% in July and is estimated at 21% over the first seven months of 2019.

Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in July compared to June were cut lengths plates (up 55%), line pipe (up 29%), hot rolled bars (up 24%), plates in coils (up 23%), standard pipe (up 21%), hot rolled sheets (up 19%), sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (18%), wire rods (up 16%), mechanical tubing (up 16%), sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 11%), and heavy structural shapes (up 10%).

In July the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (180,000 NT, up 10% from June final), Japan (87,000 NT, down 23%), Taiwan (83,000 NT, down 3%), Brazil (80,000 NT, up 423%) and Germany (75,000 NT, down 24%). For the first seven months of 2019, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea (1,629,000 NT, down 16% vs. the same period in 2018), Japan (810,000 NT, down 7%), Germany (692,000 NT, down 9%), Taiwan (606,000 NT, down 8%) and Vietnam (496,000 NT, down 21%). Below are charts on estimated steel import market share in recent months and on finished steel imports from offshore by country. (AISI)

[Ferro-Alloys.com] 

• [Editor:kangmingfei]