Preliminary steel imports fell 12.3% in February, with finished imports grabbing about 18% of the market share in the United States, according to the U.S. Commerce Department’s most recent Steel Import Monitoring and Analysis data.
The United States received permit applications to import an estimated 1.945 million tons of steel in February, down from 2.213 million tons in January, according to the Washington D.C.-based American Iron and Steel Institute. That included permit applications for 1.37 million tons of finished steel products that do not require any further processing in the United States, such as at the service centers at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor.
That's a 19.7% decline as compared to the 2.42 million tons of preliminary finished steel imported in January.
In February, imports of tin plate rose were up by 213%, sheets and strip electrolytic galvanized by 151%, cold-rolled sheets by 71%, tin-free steel by 55%, hot-rolled sheets by 43%, cut lengths plates by 34%, line pipe by 30%, mechanical tubing by 19% and wire rods by 15%.
So far this year, imports of tin plate are up by 22%, steel piling by 81% and sheets and strip electrolytic galvanized by 69%, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Finished steel imports have grabbed about 16% of the market share during the first two months of the year.
Last month, imports rose by 64% to 216,000 tons from South Korea, by 97% to 91,000 tons from Japan, by 251% to 82,000 tons from Germany, and by 841% to 38,000 tons from The Netherlands. Imports fell by 6% to 77,000 tons from Turkey in February.
So far this year, the largest offshore suppliers of steel, excluding Canada and Mexico, are South Korea, Japan and Turkey.
Steel imports fell 21.2% last year but still grabbed about 18% of the U.S. market share, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.
Source : https://www.nwitimes.com/business/local