(American Iron and Steel Institute, www.steel.org – October 24, 2018) Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported today that the U.S. imported a total of 2,249,000 net tons (NT) of steel in September 2018, including 1,854,000 net tons (NT) of finished steel (down 25.9% and 8.6%, respectively, vs. August final data).
Year-to-date (YTD) through nine months of 2018, total and finished steel imports are 26,158,000 and 20,079,000 net tons (NT), down 12.0% and 12.5%, respectively, vs. the same period in 2017. Annualized total and finished steel imports in 2018 would be 34.9 and 26.8 million NT, down 8.5% and 9.4%, respectively, vs. 2017. Finished steel import market share was an estimated 20% in September and is estimated at 24% YTD. Key finished steel products with a significant import increase in September compared to August were standard pipe (up 26%), hot rolled sheets (up 25%), and sheets and strip all other metallic coatings (up 23%). Major products with significant year-to-date (YTD) increases vs. the same period in 2017 include hot rolled sheets (up 21%) and plates in coils (up 21%).