Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported Thursday that the US imported a total of 2,680,000 net tons (nt) of steel in April, including 2,087,000 net tons (nt) of finished steel (up 4 percent and 1 percent, respectively, versus March final data). Year-to-date (YTD) total and finished steel imports are 10,375,000 and 8,178,000 nt, respectively, down 12 percent and 9 percent compared to the same period in 2012. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2013 would be 31.1 and 24.5 million nt, down 7 percent and 5 percent respectively versus 2012. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 24 percent in April and is estimated at 23 percent year-to-date.
Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in April 2013 compared to March are plates-in-coils (up 61 percent); standard pipe (up 43 percent); cut-length plates (up 43 percent) and wire rods (up 39 percent). Major products with significant year-to-date import increases as compared to the same period last year are sheets and strip hot dipped galvanized (up 11 percent).
In April, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were all from Asia and Europe. They were from South Korea (248,000 nt and down 22 percent); Japan (208,000 nt and up 14 percent); Germany (115,000 nt and up 57 percent); China (106,000 nt and down 22 percent); and Taiwan (81,000 nt and up 20 percent).For the first four months of 2013, the largest offshore suppliers were South Korea, Japan, China, Turkey and Germany.
