Based on preliminary US Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Friday that the US imported a total of 2,475,000 net tons (nt) of steel in July, including 1,956,000 nt of finished steel, up 0.6 percent and down 0.9 percent, respectively, versus June final data. Year-to-date total and finished steel imports are 18,207,000 and 14,325,000 nt, respectively, down 11 percent and 10 percent compared to the seven eight months of 2012. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2013 would be 31.2 and 24.6 million nt, down 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively versus 2012. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 22 percent in July and is estimated at 23 percent year-to-date.
Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in July 2013 compared to June are wire rods (up 52 percent), hot rolled bars (up 23 percent) and hot rolled sheets (up 19 percent).
In July, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were all from Asia and Europe. They were from South Korea (263,000 nt and up 10 percent compared to June final data); China (176,000 nt and up 14 percent); Japan (148,000 nt and up 12 percent); Germany (91,000 nt and down 15 percent) and Taiwan (73,000 nt and up 35 percent).
For the first seven months of 2013, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea, Japan, China, Turkey and Germany.