Steel Imports Declined in 2020, Says AISI

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) today reported that the country imported a total of 1.494 million net tons (NT) during the month of December last year. The imports through the full year 2020 totalled 22.019 million NT. The above figures are based on the most recent data published by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The total steel imports were up sharply by around 9% in the month of December, when compared with the November final data. On the contrary, the yearly imports in 2020 recorded notable decline by 21.2% compared with the year before that.

The monthly finished steel imports were up by 6.6% to 1.340 million NT in December last year. The cumulative finished steel imports during the entire year 2020 totalled 16.139 million NT, down significantly by 23.3% in comparison with 2019. Also, the finished steel import market share stood at 18% in December and for the full year 2020.

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The finished steel products to report significant increases in import volumes in December 2020 over the previous month were line pipes and oil country goods, whose imports were up by 223% and 148% respectively. The import volumes of plates in coils and hot rolled sheets wee up by 84% and 36% respectively. Also, hot rolled bar imports have surged higher by 15%, in comparison with November 2020.