AISI: U.S. Finished Steel Imports Surged in April

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The total steel imports stood at 2.801 million net tons during the month of April this year, as per the most recent statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau. This is significantly higher by 11.3% when compared with the imports during the prior month. Also, the finished steel imports registered notable surge by 4.5% month-on-month to total 2.092 million net tons.

The finished steel product that reported highest surge in import volumes was wire rods, whose imports during April this year recorded nearly 62% jump over the prior month. The imports of blooms, billets and slabs too were up by 38%. Also, imports of tin plates reported 37% surge over the prior month. The largest offshore suppliers during the month were Canada, Mexico, Brazil, South Korea and Vietnam.

Over the 12-month period from May 2023 to April 2024, the total and finished steel imports were down by 3.1% and 8.8% respectively. The finished steel import market share was estimated at 24% in April and at 23% over the first four months of the current year, noted AISI.

The products with significant year-to-date increases over the 12-month period from May 2023 to April 2024 compared to the previous 12-month period included cut lengths plates and ingots, billets and slabs, whose imports surged higher by 30% and 21% respectively. Also, imports of sheets and strip all other metallic coatings were up by 14%.