August Steel Imports Up from July; Down from 2000

Washington, DC - Newly released preliminary government figures covering steel imports for the month of August 2001 show that steel imports increased 1.5 percent from July 2001 levels.

Total Steel Mill Products

The prelimintary data, released in September, show that overall steel imports in Aug-ust 2001 increased 1.5 percent com-pared to July 2001. The increase in August's imports was due primarily to an increase in imports of hot-rolled steel, standard pipe, and heavy structurals. August 2001 imports of finished steel products increased 4.7 percent com-pared to July 2001, while imports of semifinished steel fell 8 percent.

August 2001 imports of steel mill products were down 29 percent com-pared to August 2000. August 2001 im-ports of both finished and semifinished steel products were down 29 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of steel mill products are down 29 percent compared to the same period in 2000. January to August 2001 imports of finished steel are down 26 percent compared to the same period last year, while imports of semifinished steel are down 38 percent.

Hot-Rolled Steel

August 2001 imports of hot-rolled steel increased 38 percent compared July 2001. August 2001 imports of hot-rolled steel were down 71 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of hot-rolled steel are down 64 percent compared to the same period last year. These products are the subject of current antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.

Cold-Rolled Steel

August 2001 imports of cold-rolled steel increased 8 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports of cold-rolled steel were down 8 percent com- pared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of cold-rolled steel are down 3 percent compared to the same period last year.

Cut-to-Length Plate

August 2001 imports of cut-to-length plate increased 14 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports are down 40 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of cut-to-length plate are down 14 percent compared to the same period last year.

Corrosion-Resistant Steel

August 2001 imports of corrosion-resistant steel decreased 17 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports of these products are down 29 percent compared to last year. January to August 2001 imports of cor-rosion-resistant steel are down 24 percent compared to the same period last year.

Standard Pipe

August 2001 imports of standard pipe increased 18 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports of these products are down 16 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of standard pipe are down 9 percent compared to the same period last year.

Heavy Structurals

August 2001 imports of heavy structurals increased 22 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports of these products are down 50 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of heavy structurals are down 52 percent compared to the same period last year.

Rebar

August 2001 imports of rebar fell 13 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports of these products are down 12 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of rebar are down 12 percent compared tothe same period last year. These products are the subject of current antidumping and countervailing duty investigations.

Hot-Rolled Bar

August 2001 imports of hot-rolled bar increased 6 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports of these products are down 26 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of hot-rolled bar are down 24 percent compared to the same period last year.

Semifinished Steel

August 2001 imports of semifinished steel decreased 8 percent compared to July 2001. August 2001 imports of these products are down 29 percent compared to August 2000. January to August 2001 imports of semifinished steel are down 38 percent compared to the same period last year. Imports of these products are used by U.S. steel companies to produce finished products.

The data are preliminary and are likely to change somewhat between now and the release of the final August statistics next month.