Steel imports decrease

Based on preliminary Census Bureau data, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported that the United States imported a total of 1,321,000 net tons (NT) of steel in November 2009, including 954,000 NT of finished steel (down 19 percent and 23 percent, respectively, vs. October final data). Finished steel import market share was an estimated 15 percent in November and is an estimated 22 percent year-to-date through eleven months.

Key finished steel products with increases in November 2009 compared to October include tin plate (6 percent), standard pipe (5 percent) and hot rolled sheets (4 percent).

In November, the largest volumes of finished steel imports from offshore were from South Korea (105,000 NT, down 6 percent), China (61,000 NT, up 10 percent), The Netherlands (60,000 NT, down 39 percent), Japan (55,000 NT, down 40 percent) and Brazil (49,000 NT, up 170 percent).