US Preliminary Steel Imports declined 10% in June

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that the U.S. imported a total of 3,049,000 net tons (NT) of steel in June 2015, including 2,458,000net tons (NT) of finished steel (down 10.3% and 10.7%, respectively, vs. May final data).

Year-to-date (YTD) total and finished steel imports are 21,670,000 and 17,833,000 net tons (NT), respectively, up 3% and 14% respectively, vs. the same period in 2014. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 27% in June.

Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in June compared to May are heavy structural shapes (up 32%) and wire rods (up 11%).

The major products that recorded significant rise in import volumes year-to-date in comparison with the similar six-month period in 2014 are line pipe (up 66%), standard pipe (up 39%), reinforcing bars (up 36%), plates in coils (up 27%), heavy structural shapes (up 26%), tin plate (up 24%), sheets and strip galvanized hot dipped (up 22%), cut lengths plates (up 20%) and cold rolled sheets (up 16%).

ALSO SEE Scrap Steel Price List

In June, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (311,000 NT, down 13% vs. May final), China (190,000 NT, down 37%), Japan (181,000 NT, down 3%), Germany (147,000 NT, up 12%) and Turkey (142,000 NT, down 36%).

The largest offshore suppliers for the initial six-month period of the year were South Korea (3,056,000 NT, up 17%), Turkey (1,589,000 NT, up 65%), China (1,521,000 NT, unchanged), Japan (1,229,000 NT, up 24%) and Germany (821,000 NT, up 41%)

Courtesy: American Iron and Steel Institute